|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
As the fight against false information intensifies, disinformation actors exert significant influence over various aspects of public life.
Last week, misleading AI-generated content and health and sports-related misinformation gained traction across social media platforms, prompting the need for heightened verification efforts.
Here are some of the claims we fact-checked last week:
Claim teething cause death in children, false
Recently, a TikTok user, Ajoke (@harjohkeh001), claimed she lost her baby to teething. Some other users agreed with this assertion while sharing similar experiences. However, a few others queried the authenticity of the claim and argued that other factors or illnesses could have caused the death of the child.
To verify the claim, we engaged paediatricians and consulted medical research articles. Our findings showed that while teething may cause some sort of discomfort for the child, it cannot be said to be the cause of death if that eventually occurs. Read more here.
2. United States Embassy did not announce closure of Nigeria office
Insecurity has become increasingly widespread in Nigeria, making it a frequent topic of discussion across social media platforms, especially in relation to its impact on international relations. Recently, a claim surfaced online alleging that the United States Embassy had announced the closure of its offices in Abuja and Lagos due to security concerns in the country.
Our findings revealed that the user who shared the claim had sourced it from a report by GistReel. We found the report misleading, as it featured a clickbait headline. Further investigation showed that the closure of the US Embassy in Abuja and the Consulate General in Lagos on July 4, 2025, was simply in observance of the US Independence Day. It had no connection to insecurity and was not a permanent closure. Read more.
3. Funding for Emirates Hospital in Gbarpolu, not from Saudi government
The Liberian government has recently been in international news following the president’s visit to the United States, Indonesia and Nigeria. A social media user asserted that the Saudi Arabian government sponsored $23 million in funding for Emirates Hospital in Liberia.
However, government documents and credible media reports showed the claim was false. Details about the actual amount and the sponsor can be found in this link.
4. False! Liverpool fans in Nigeria didn’t hold procession for Diogo Jota
On the sports landscape, social media users shared a video claiming Liverpool fans in Nigeria were mourning the death of Diogo Jota. Jota was a professional footballer for Liverpool and Portugal before his involvement in a car accident alongside his brother on July 3.
DUBAWA fact-checked the video and discovered it was captured in Northern Uganda. Read more here.
5. Ghanaian footballer not arrested for rape
Amid allegations of sexual assault and rape against Thomas Partey, a Ghanaian and Arsenal footballer, a social media user claimed the police had arrested the footballer.
The user shared a collage of images showing the footballer in an Arsenal jersey with two uniformed police officers behind him; one showing a man in a black hoodie being held by police, and a party scene with Partey and a woman. All of these visuals point to the claim that the footballer was arrested.
However, DUBAWA’s findings showed that the claim was misleading and false, as Partey had only been charged on July 4, 2025, not arrested. Further details on the status of the case can be found here.
