Photo source: DUBAWA.
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The final week of August 2026 was dominated by misinformation attributed to prominent religious figures, old footage misrepresented as current attacks, and claims of political tension across Northern Nigeria.
Here are five of the claims DUBAWA verified this week.
- Sultan of Sokoto endorses Nigeria’s breakup
A Facebook user shared a video claiming Muhammad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto, said the North is not afraid of Nigeria breaking up and that the Igbo should be let go if the Constitution allows it. As of Aug. 15, 2026, the video had gathered 996,000 views, 16,000 likes, 709 comments, and 1,400 shares.
We ran an extensive Google search but found no evidence that the Sultan made such a statement. We also spoke to the Sultan’s media and publicity officer, Aminu Haliru, who described the claim as false.
Read the full fact check here.
- Sokoto’s Hisbah ban wedding gifts, DJs and mixed gathering
An X user shared a video, claiming Sokoto State’s Hisbah had banned wedding gifts, DJs, and mixed-gender gatherings for both Muslims and Christians.
Sokoto Hisbah Commander, Usman Abdullahi, confirmed restrictions were placed on excessive marriage-related spending and mixed-gender entertainment gatherings. However, he said the rules only apply to Muslims.
The Chairperson of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Sokoto, Kayode James, also confirmed Christians in the state were not affected.
Read more about this fact check here.
- Youth assault Sokoto Imam over ‘Muslim-Muslim’ ticket
A video went viral with claims that some youth in Bodinga, Sokoto State, beat up a Chief Imam for preaching in support of the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket.
We traced the video back to a December 2025 Facebook post from a Sudanese community group. Unlike the viral claim, it showed a clash that took place in a mosque in Nyala, South Darfur.
We contacted the Secretary of the Association of Qur’anic Scholars in Bodinga, and he confirmed no altercation occurred at the mosque in question.
Read the full report here.
- Bandits on a shopping spree in Kaduna
A video of armed men openly shopping for food and drinks in Kaduna surfaced on Facebook. The footage sparked widespread reactions, with many users questioning the authorities’ capacity to address banditry in Nigeria.
However, contrary to the viral narrative, DUBAWA found that the video was actually recorded in Kankara, Katsina State, in September 2025. The event was not recent and never took place in Kaduna as claimed.
Click here to read more.
- Terrorists heading to attack Christians in Katsina
An X user shared a video of a convoy of armed motorcyclists passing through a police checkpoint. He claimed they were Fulani Muslim terrorists on their way to attack Christian communities in Katsina.
However, the Nigeria Police Force had already described the convoy as registered hunters and members of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria who were supporting security operations.
Read the full findings here.
