Fact CheckFacebook ChecksFeaturedHeadlineHomepageMainstream

Misleading! Image of man holding human head not from skull-mining competition

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Claim: A viral image of a man holding a human head allegedly from a “skull-mining” competition.

Misleading! Image of man holding human head not from skull-mining competition

Verdict: Our findings traced the image to a beheading crime that happened in Benue in July 2015. The narrative accompanying the photo is misleading.

Full Text

An image of a man lifting the detached head of another person recently went viral on X and Facebook. The individual, named “Adekunle,” was celebrated for winning a “keenly contested” skull-mining competition held at an undisclosed location in South-West Nigeria.

The image has since been shared with a single caption:

“Behold Adekunle, winner of the 2023/2024 skull mining competition. It was a keenly contested competition. Congratulations, more heads Adekunle.”

Misleading! Image of man holding human head not from skull-mining competition
The viral image in question. Photo Source: Facebook.

Some users believed the story, others doubted the likelihood of such an occurrence and another group tribalised the issue. DUBAWA conducted this fact check to set the record straight.

Verification

DUBAWA could not verify the existence of any annual skull-mining competition anywhere in Nigeria. Such acts are considered serious crimes under section 329A of the Criminal Code Act, which says, “Any person who receives or has in his possession a human head or skull within six months of the same having been separated from the body or skeleton with the intention that such head or skull shall be possessed by himself as a trophy, juju or charm or transferred by him to any other person as a trophy, juju or charm, is guilty of a felony and is liable to imprisonment for five years.“

We conducted a reverse image search and traced the image to a crime reported on July 13, 2015, in Utonkon, Ado Local Government Area of Benue State. The individual pictured is Raphael Agazi who was arrested for beheading his neighbour, Ajah Asim, over a land dispute. 

According to reports from The Nation and Vanguard, Mr Agazi confessed to intending to use the victim’s body for rituals. Both individuals were farmers.

Conclusion

The claim that this image depicts a recent “skull-mining competition” is misleading and distorts the facts surrounding a criminal act.

Show More

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Back to top button
Translate »