Round-Up: Citizens’ freedom to buy guns, pineapple cure, death hoax, others, top claims verified last week

The claims DUBAWA encountered last week cut across health, security and politics. 

Below is a summary of some of them:

1. Claim pineapple leaf cures ulcers, waist pains and cough

Herbal Magic, a Facebook page, recently claimed that pineapple leaf could cure stomach ulcers, cough and waist pain. The handler asked users to make a concoction by adding ginger and water. He then instructed them to take it twice daily.

Our findings, however, showed that even though studies show that pineapple leaf has inflammation remedy properties, there is no evidence that it heals waist pain. For ulcers, available studies reveal that pineapple juice predisposes people to gastric ulcers because of its acidic nature.

Read more here.

2. Liberia’s President urged citizens to buy guns

For a country where violence has remained a source of concern, it was disturbing when former opposition lawmaker Acarous Moses claimed on Facebook that Liberia President Joseph Boakai has issued Executive Order #141, urging civilians to purchase guns and register them within 12 months.

We, however, found this claim to be misleading. The Executive Order did not instruct civilians to buy weapons. Instead, it encouraged those already in possession of illicit firearms to register them within 12 months. According to the President’s directive, the exercise aims to trace individuals with illegal weapons and reduce criminal activity in the country.

Read about it here.

3. Monrovia is the dirtiest city in the world

Like many African countries, waste management is a challenge in Liberia. On  Feb. 14, 2025, a blog named “SPY Liberia” claimed that Monrovia, the capital of Liberia is the dirtiest city in the world.   

We found this claim to be false. On the contrary, our findings showed that New Delhi is the world’s dirtiest city. Not only that, Monrovia is not among the top dirtiest cities in the world.

Read more about this fact-check here.

4. Zanzan Karwor, Liberia’s former traditional chief is dead

Death hoaxes have become a common misinformation and disinformation tactic being deployed by several social media users. Just recently, Facebook users claimed that Zanzan Karwo, a former head of the National Traditional Council of Chiefs and Elders of Liberia, is dead. In no time, the news went viral.

However, DUBAWA contacted Chief Karwo’s family, who debunked the news as false. Read what the family said here.