Claim: A Facebook user shared a video claiming Tinubu spoke on releasing IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu and ending the South-East sit-at-home order.
Verdict: False. The video is from Tinubu’s January 2025 speech at Mahama’s inauguration in Ghana, and the audio has been altered.
Full Text
A Facebook user ODT backup page shared a video of President Bola Tinubu, claiming that the president spoke about efforts to secure the release of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
The post (archived here) also claimed Tinubu addressed the sit-at-home order. The post’s caption read, “Breaking news: Tinubu bows to pressure, chooses this date below to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and plans to send him back to Kenya.”
In the 15-minute video, the president could be seen addressing a large audience, speaking about the role of youth in making Nigeria a better, safer place, while also stressing the need for dialogue and peace over conflict.
The President was heard saying, “After careful reflection and consultations, I have directed the federal government to begin structured legal and constitutional processes that may lead to the release of Kanu in the coming months, subject to the lawful frameworks and binding agreement that protect national security and unity. My brothers and sisters in Abia, Anambra, Imo, Enugu, and Ebonyi, this message is especially for you. You are an indispensable part of Nigeria’s story.”
He further said the sit-at-home directive has harmed the very people it claims to protect and has disrupted regional growth and investment. He then asked for the immediate cancellation of the order.
Throughout the rest of the video, he continues to emphasise the need for peace and collective effort to grow the country.
As of Oct. 25, 2026, the post had over 12,000 likes, 630 comments, 2,800 shares and 5 million views.
DUBAWA checked the comments to gauge users’ thoughts about the claim.
@Forbah Eunice wrote, “Please, we need an Igbo presidency. Under Fulani, we want Biafra freedom and the freedom of Kanu and Simon Ekpa. This is the will of Elohim Chukwu Okike Abiama that his children should be free. We are not Nigerians; we are Biafrans, the children of the rising sun. Please allow us to go.”
@Edmund Oha replied, “For me, this is like a song. We need Biafrans and our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu freedom period.”
@Tony Igbokwe added, “It is not a matter of talking but implementing what he said fast.”
Other Facebook users shared similar claims here, here, here, and here.
Because of the claim’s sensitive nature and the massive engagement it already garnered, DUBAWA decided to verify its authenticity.
Verification
DUBAWA noted some things in the video that seemed inconsistent with the claim. For example, Ghana’s coat of arms stood right behind Tinubu at the podium.
Second, we noticed the audio did not sync with his lip movements.
So we took screenshots of the video and ran them through a Google Lens search. The search led to a live broadcast shared by NTA News, which carried the original footage and a more detailed version. The original video shows Tinubu speaking as a special guest at the swearing-in of Ghana’s President John Mahama in Accra on Jan. 7, 2025.
This confirms the clip is not recent. Media reports, including Channels TV, which covered his arrival in Accra for the ceremony, confirmed the occasion.
DUBAWA watched the full original video and noticed that Tinubu’s words had been altered. In the original video, Tinubu expressed confidence in Mahama’s administration, described the inauguration as a celebration of African democracy, assured Mahama of Nigeria’s support, and urged African leaders to unite to tackle poverty and build resilient economies.
Citi Newsroom, the Ghana News Agency and Graphic Online reported this remark. Throughout the video, he does not mention Kanu, the sit-at-home order, or any of the statements attributed to him in the viral video.
So DUBAWA converted the video into audio and ran it through AI audio-detection tools. We used Eyesift, which returned a 66% probability that the audio is synthetic.
To further check whether the video had been tampered with, DUBAWA also ran it through SynthID Detector, an AI detection tool that analyses video frames. It returned 62.6% confidence that the video is AI-generated, with 10 of the 17 analysed frames flagged as AI-generated.
These results, together with our observations and findings, point to manipulation.
Conclusion
DUBAWA found that while the video is real, the audio had been altered. Therefore, the claim that Tinubu made a statement about plans to release Nnamdi Kanu is false.