Image of Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Donald Trump. Photo source: BBC
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Claim: Social media user claims that Tinubu replied to Donald Trump’s call for Nnamdi Kanu’s release
Verdict: False. The viral video was digitally manipulated using unrelated old footage and fabricated audio to create a misleading impression of a diplomatic exchange that never occurred.
Full Text
Nnamdi Kanu is a Nigerian-British political activist and leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
On November 20, 2025, Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced him to life imprisonment after convicting him on multiple terrorism-related charges. He is currently serving his sentence at the Sokoto Correctional Centre.
In the same month, several social media posts claimed that Donald Trump, the United States’ president, had demanded Kanu’s release. These claims were later debunked.
However, a Facebook user, Don Pee, shared a YouTube video alleging that Nigerian President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, had responded to Trump’s supposed demand to release Kanu.
In the caption, there was a disclaimer that the video was fictional and created for educational and entertainment purposes; despite that, many viewers appeared to interpret it as genuine.
As of February 21, 2026, the video had garnered 95,000 views, 807 likes, and 395 comments.
Many users appeared to believe the claim. A user identified as tinachimezie9436 commented, “I pray that you are going to release MNK very soon as you have promised.”
Another user, Chitomemeka, wrote, “Is it true? Am I hearing from Mr President himself?”
Meanwhile, another user, Alutherjacobs, expressed doubt, commenting, “Who is fooling himself in this manner?”
Due to the mixed reactions and growing engagement surrounding the post, DUBAWA decided to fact-check the claim.
Verification
To verify the claim, DUBAWA conducted a keyword search to determine whether Tinubu had officially responded to Trump regarding the alleged call to release Nnamdi Kanu.
Considering how sensitive the matter is, any response from Tinubu to Trump would have been widely reported by credible local and international media outlets.
However, as of June 23, 2025, the date the Facebook video was made, no reputable news organisation had reported such a statement or diplomatic exchange.
Further analysis of the viral video revealed that it was a compilation of four different clips edited together.
In the first clip, DUBAWA observed that President Tinubu’s lip movements did not synchronise with the audio attributed to him.
His mouth appeared not to move in alignment with the speech being played, strongly suggesting digital manipulation or the use of artificial intelligence to alter the footage.
DUBAWA then conducted reverse image searches on the clips.
Findings showed that the first clip originated from August 4, 2024, when President Tinubu addressed Nigerians in a nationwide broadcast on the state of the nation, assuring citizens of his administration’s commitment to economic reforms and a better future.
There was no mention of Donald Trump or Nnamdi Kanu in the original address.
A Google Reverse Image Search on the second and fourth clips traced them to March 2022, before Tinubu became president.
The footage showed him meeting with senators of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to seek support for his presidential ambition.
At the time, Kanu had not been sentenced, and there was no reference to any conversation with Trump.Screenshot of the second and fourth clip
The third clip was also traced through reverse image search to court proceedings involving Nnamdi Kanu before his sentencing.
The footage was unrelated to any diplomatic exchange between Nigeria and the United States.
Screenshot of the third image
The findings confirm that the viral video was created by stitching together unrelated old footage and overlaying it with misleading audio to fabricate a response that never occurred.
Conclusion
The claim that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu responded to Donald Trump’s alleged call for the release of Nnamdi Kanu is false.
The viral video was created by combining unrelated old footage with manipulated audio, giving the false impression of a diplomatic exchange that never occurred. There is also no credible evidence to support the claim.
