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By: Amarachi Onwuzulike
Claim: A Facebook user shared some images claiming that President Bola Tinubu visited Anthony Joshua in the hospital.
Verdict: False. There is no credible evidence that President Bola Tinubu visited Anthony Joshua in the hospital. The images shared with the claim are AI-generated, and credible reports only confirm that the president contacted Joshua and his family by phone.
Full Text
Anthony Joshua is a British professional heavyweight boxer and a two-time world champion. He is globally recognised for his achievements in the sport.
He won an Olympic gold medal for Great Britain at the London 2012 Olympics and went on to claim multiple world titles as a professional boxer.
On Dec. 29, 2025, Joshua was involved in a road accident on the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway, southwest Nigeria.
Reports indicated that the Lexus SUV conveying him lost control and crashed into a stationary truck.
While Joshua sustained only minor injuries, the accident claimed the lives of two of his close friends and team members who were also in the vehicle.
The boxer was subsequently taken to a hospital in Lagos for medical observation, where officials confirmed that he was in stable condition.
Following the incident, Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu reached out to Joshua and his mother to express his condolences and wished him a speedy recovery.
He also communicated with Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun regarding Joshua’s medical care. A statement from the presidency confirmed that the president sympathised with the bereaved families and prayed for Joshua’s recovery.
Shortly after, a Facebook user, Zamani’s Blog, shared images claiming that President Tinubu had personally visited Anthony Joshua in the hospital.
The post’s caption read in part, “Crazy right? In less than 24 hours, Tinubu, the president of Nigeria, has made two posts about Anthony Joshua’s accident. He is so concerned that he called and did everything to find out how he is doing. But when 20 innocent people have an accident, you won’t hear him… Moral lesson: as poor man pikin, you have to work double. No one cares about you. See how Tinubu worries about global star Anthony.”
As of Dec. 31, 2025, the post had generated over 8,300 likes, 634 comments, and 157 shares.
The claim sparked mixed reactions among Facebook users. While some, like Ned K Nice, defended the president, stating, “In fact, the president has done nothing wrong. Clap hands for him,” others expressed doubts.
A user named Aisha Scott questioned the authenticity of the images, asking, “So this is how hospitals look in Nigeria?”
Others like Blessed Bliss dismissed the claim outright, commenting “I no believe this, na AI.”
Given conflicting opinions and the likelihood of public misinformation, DUBAWA decided to verify the claim.
Verification
DUBAWA conducted a keyword search to determine whether any credible news organisation reported that President Tinubu visited Anthony Joshua in the hospital. However, I found no such report.
Media outlets, including The Punch, BusinessDay, and Premium Times, reported only that Tinubu spoke with Joshua and his family by telephone.
A review of Tinubu’s official X account showed that while he publicly confirmed contacting the boxer and his mother, there was no post or statement indicating that he visited Joshua in the hospital.
We then subjected the circulating images to AI-detection tools. Results from Hive Moderation indicated that AI generated the photos.
Screenshot of the results from Hive Moderation
Similarly, analysis using SiteEngine, another AI-verification tool, showed a 67% likelihood that the images were artificially generated.
Screenshot of the results from SiteEngine
Additionally, checks revealed that President Tinubu was not in Nigeria at the time. He was reportedly in Europe for an end-of-year break and preparing for an international summit in Abu Dhabi.
Finally, Dada Olusegun, a presidential aide, also dismissed the images as false in a post on his verified X account.
Conclusion
The claim that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu visited Anthony Joshua in the hospital is false.
