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Claim: X user Joshua Olusegun @Leged45 posted that Nigerian singer-songwriter and record producer Augustine Okechukwu, known as Tekno, collapsed while on tour in South Africa.
Verdict: FALSE! The video does not show Tekno. The claim is misleading because it is an old video of a different individual that is being circulated as new.
Full Text
Augustine Okechukwu, born on December 17, 1990, popularly known as Tekno, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and record producer. He recently released a new single called Wayo and is expected to tour in different countries. Joshua Olusegun @Leged45 posted on X that the singer collapsed while performing in South Africa. He also noted that the cause of the fall was unknown.
The user attached a video of someone falling while others tried to help him. The 12-second video was captioned: “Tekno’s collapse while presenting in South Africa highlights the pressures faced in the music industry and the fact that no one is above illnesses and bad. The cause remains unknown. Get well soon, Tekno.”
The video that went viral on X has garnered 25,900 views since it was posted on Aug. 20, 2024. Other variations of the post can also be found on Facebook here, here, here, here, here, and other blog posts.
While some users believed the claim, others doubted its authenticity, labelling it fake news. @factmediapr, in the comments noting that Tekno has always been sick, said, “Tekno never for once get good health.” Another user, @Noxydraze1, disagreed with the post and wrote, “How is that person Tekno? Ona sabi carry fake news.”
Amid the controversy surrounding the video, DUBAWA decided to investigate and determine the accuracy of the claim.
Verification
We noticed the person’s face in the video was unseen, and the poster used as the backdrop was not Tekno, so we conducted a reverse image search. Using Google Lens, we saw a YouTube video with the exact picture match dated Jun 7, 2024, with the caption, “Veteran Rapper Prezzo CMB collapsed at Bahati and Diana reality show launch.”
Going through the singer’s Instagram post, we noticed the singer had performed in Malabo the same day he was rumoured to have performed in South Africa. Notable media organisations did not report the news of the popular musician collapsing.
Finally, Nigerian singer Mr Eazi, who owns the record label to which Tekno is signed, has refuted the rumour. In a post on X, Mr Eazi clarified that the individual in the viral video is not Tekno. He emphasised this by writing, “Tekno is in Malabo,” dismissing the misleading claims and reassuring fans about Tekno’s whereabouts.
Conclusion
The video in question is not recent; it dates from June 2024. The man depicted is not Tekno but Kenyan rapper, CMB Prezzo. Therefore, the claim that Tekno collapsed during a tour in South Africa is false.
