Image showing a demonstration by protesters against Police brutality in Lagos State. Photo Source: Aljazeera
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On July 26, 2024, an X account @NoNonsensezone uploaded a video showing President Bola Tinubu in a meeting with the Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Enitan, and the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Abubakar.
The post’s author claimed that these two were the only traditional rulers invited by the president for a closed-door meeting ahead of the August 1 #EndBadGovernance protest.
A survey of the comment section by DUBAWA reveals that it sparked ethnic debate. While some users affirmed the veracity of the information shared, others questioned the significance of the Igbo tribe in Nigeria.
DUBAWA investigation reveals that several traditional leaders were present, not two as claimed. Dein of Agbor, Benjamin Keagborekuzi, was present on that day, in a move that appears to represent the three major tribes in Nigeria. Also, the image used in the claim was found to have been online since 2023, not as recently portrayed.
Several similar claims have been propagated on X.
In this report, DUBAWA analysed a network of X accounts coordinating and promoting ethnic bigotry, political differences, and fake news, particularly disinformation and misinformation on the platform.
The copy also examines the various patterns, sources and techniques used in spreading them and the harm they pose to the Nigerian polity and security.
Yoruba Ronu narrative
Prior to the EndBadGovernance protest, there were allegations on X that it was being sponsored by people of Igbo descent.
In a lead-up to the protest, DUBAWA noticed that pages such as @Nononsense, @Lagospedia, among others started promoting the “Yoruba Ronu” movement, which translates to “Yoruba think,” aimed at discouraging participation in the protest, which they claimed was secretly sponsored by the Igbo tribe. Several pages adopted the tag as seen in their profile here, here, here, and here.
As the protest intensified in the North, claims surfaced online alleging that the Igbos encouraged the northerners to continue the protest. In one of @Nononsense’s posts, the account owner shared an image of the unrest and linked it to the Igbo community. Meanwhile, similar posts were shared here, here and here.
This is despite the fact that the protests did not hold in any part of the southeastern states of Nigeria, which are dominantly occupied by the Igbos.
Ten days after the protest, @lagospidia, an X page believed to be owned and controlled by the Lagos State government, started an #Igbomustgo movement, calling for the extinction of Igbo descent living in a Yoruba-owned state.
This call for the exodus of Igbo people stems from the deluge of hate speech and ethnic bigotry that has polluted the digital space, particularly on X, where certain pages are dedicated to sharing false information, outdated and misleading videos, and pictures to cast a particular region in a bad light.
Despite the divisive nature of the posts made by these pages, their engagement ratio continues to experience a steady increase, as users keep engaging with them. As part of DUBAWA’s efforts to combat such a trend, we will be analysing some of these pages focused on spreading malicious content that discredits the Igbo community.
Coordinated network on X promoting ethnic-related misinformation
DUBAWA analysed various pages on X sharing misinformation and hate speech about the Igbo tribe on the basis of videos, images and usage of condescending terms.
One such page (@Nononsensezone, created in 2022 with about 25,000 followers) has been sharing misinformation about the Igbos. In July, it uploaded a video claiming to show an attack by unknown gunmen breaking into a correctional centre in Owerri, Imo State.
However, evidence from credible media reports revealed no reports of any such attack on the correctional centre. Moreover, the state’s Commissioner of Police also refuted the claim as misleading.
In yet another post, @Nononsensezone shared a video on X showing people vandalising properties in the Nigerian Embassy in Senegal. The video caption, which ascribes the violence to the Igbos living in the West African French country, led to comments by users who blamed and abhorred the Igbo community, dismissing the act as barbaric.
DUBAWA’s investigation shows that the video relates to an incident that happened on March 8, 2013, not a recent incident. Although some Igbo words could be heard in the background, no reliable report affirmed that the invasion was undertaken by only Igbo individuals.
Despite the irrefutable truth that the incident occurred 11 years ago and with little or no proof that the individuals involved in the embassy’s vandalism were all Igbos, DUBAWA noticed that the post’s engagement statistics were fairly high.
Another main page, @Icemankizzy with a suspicious location, Antalya, Turkiye, shared a post claiming that Tafawa Balewa was attacked and killed by the Igbos in Lagos State. The caption further explained the process of his death and how he cursed the Igbo never to rule Nigeria again.
“…After he finished praying he said “Igbos, Igbos, Igbos” (3 times) and then he made the following pronouncements on them, in very strong terms. He said: “the Igbos would never rule Nigeria, they would be scattered, they would be hated, they would suffer tragedy after tragedy and they would suffer scorn and disdain from their compatriots forever…” part of his caption reads.
Despite the absurdity of the post, some users still believe in the post’s veracity and authenticity. However, DUBAWA keyword findings show that there has been controversy surrounding the death of the former Prime Minister, Tafawa Balewa. While some believed he was killed during the 1966 Nigerian coup d’état led by Major Emmanuel Ifeajuna and dumped on the roadside, others believed that he died of a severe asthma attack during his abduction.
The nature of his death, regardless, there is no record of him uttering the words claimed in the post.
Moreover, DUBAWA noticed that these pages are not just spreading misinformation on X, but are gaining engagement and making their narrative more visible. A careful analysis on these pages engagement ratio reveals that these pages are receiving a huge followership engagement ratio on a weekly basis.
Speaking about the gravity of such a form of misinformation, Dr Ambrose Igboke, a global affairs analyst, draws inferences from a similar situation where misinformation has led to deadly wars and crises that rocked the country.
“Misinformation is a strategy used for spreading negative narrative, it has led to problem in the past and we could possible draw inferences on what happened in Orlando in 1900s, which led to the Rwanda genocide and the Nigeria civil war that saw the killings of thousands of easterners in the Northern part of the country which all breeded from some sort of misinformation,” he said.
Social media moderation
Since Elon Musk’s takeover, the X has experienced less moderation, allowing the proliferation of harmful narratives and information. For instance, the feature that allows users to post anonymously has led to an increase in the spread of unverifiable and misleading information.
Also, the commercialisation of verified checkmarks has undermined the credibility of information. A verified account is no longer full or partial trustworthiness, as users now pay to get verification on X.
The increasing cases of ethnic related misinformation on X have been met with little or no prosecution, as users continue to share different narratives that divide the unity of the country. For instance, the Lagospidia, which was once restricted following a call for an exodus of Igbos from Southwest states, made a strong comeback on X a few months after its page was brought down following an investigation by the Lagos State government, DUBAWA observed in this report.
We analysed the X page that was once inactive due to perceived diversity through its content and noticed that it still retains a large following and engagement percentage.
Silas Jonathan, the digital investigations manager for the Digital Technology Artificial Intelligence and Information Disorder Analysis Centre (DIADAC), attributed freedom of access granted in the platform alongside income benefits attached, as one of the reasons for an increased spread of misinformation on X. He further called for the need for strict regulation of the space to avert continuous harmful information.
On the part of Mr Igboke, the security operatives and government are more reactive rather than proactive in addressing issues of concern.
“Most of the time, they are always reactive rather than proactive; they should try to caution some information or speech people make that may seem volatile, and not just allow them to continue what they are doing, ” he said.
A global affairs analyst and public chairman of the Guild of Affairs Analyst in Enugu State, Dr Ambrose Igboke, highlighted the measures the government, in partnership with security operatives, can leverage in mitigating and curbing the spread of misinformation, disinformation as well as hate targeted at a particular ethnicity across various social media platforms.
“We have some particular handles or blogs that are usually concentrated on promoting hate speech, and the government just sits and keeps quiet. When a person is using his account to spread such, the account should be shut down, tracked, and the handler should face the law for the offence committed.”
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