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Claim: A Facebook user shared a clip alleging that a recent kidnapping hideout was discovered in Ibadan, Oyo State, where dismembered human body parts were found.
Verdict: Misleading! The video is from 2014 and is being recirculated as a recent event.
Full Text
Nigeria has witnessed numerous cases of ritual killings over the years, often tied to criminal networks and individuals desperate for wealth or power through supernatural means. These horrific acts have been reported across different regions, with many perpetrators arrested and prosecuted. Yet, the fear and outrage persist as innocent lives continue to be lost to these gruesome practices.
A video posted on Facebook on Nov. 4, 2024, by an account named @Nwa Biafra Info TV featured disturbing footage of dismembered human body parts and bloodstains, allegedly connected to ritual killings in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The caption reads: “The Afonja ritualists are more concerned about the coming of Biafra, but this is what is happening in their backyard.”
The 2-minute, 20-second video’s voice-over noted that eight people were rescued from the unfinished building shown in the footage and taken to the hospital for medical attention. The video also captures onlookers in shock, with some attributing the crime to kidnappers selling human body parts for rituals.
This information, posted by the Facebook account, appears to have been extracted from TVC News, as indicated by the visible symbol on the clip.
While the post may seem outdated, with only 23 shares and 16 likes, the same clip and caption were found to have been shared by Simon Ekpa and several other accounts on X, who continued reposting till January 2025. See samples here, here, and here.
The old TVC News channel logo, which displayed the previous colours rather than the current one, and the outdated nature of the video raised suspicion and prompted DUBAWA to verify.
Verification
Using TVC’s logo, DUBAWA subjected the video to an advanced search, which led to a clearer version of the footage on YouTube. This video, uploaded on March 24, 2014, is titled “Ibadan Den of Horror.” This explains why the logo in the clip differs from the updated one currently used by the news platform.
Further inquiry confirmed the scene was discovered in Ibadan, Oyo State, in 2014. The discovery occurred when a group of motorcyclists searching for a missing colleague stumbled upon the hideout. Human remains, skeletal bodies, and evidence of captivity and ritual killings were found at the site, causing national outrage and widespread media coverage at the time.
Written reports that confirm the incident happened in 2014 can be found here, here, and here. In response to the video resurfacing, the Oyo state government released a statement in November 2024, urging the public not to spread the misleading footage. The government reiterated that the Soka incident happened over ten years ago, in March 2014, and should not be misrepresented as a recent event.
