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As the global media suffers a funding crisis amidst an increasing use of Artificial Intelligence technology to control misinformation on social media, fact-checkers’ efforts remain important even when open-source research ends.
In the third week of April, DUBAWA fact-checked a flurry of claims, including various issues in Nigeria, Liberia, and Cameroon.
- Kidnapping: Taraba traditional ruler wants Fulani out of the state
Since 2018, Fulani herders and farmers across Nigeria have continued to clash repeatedly over land and grazing routes. These confrontations have led to deaths, displacement, and widespread destruction.
Amidst the saga, a claim on Facebook asserted that Abbas Tafida, the Emir of Muri in Taraba State, gave Fulani herdsmen a 30-day ultimatum to vacate the state.
Meanwhile, DUBAWA’s research shows that the assertion was recycled to paint a misleading narrative. We looked for any recent evidence of the traditional ruler making comments about Fulani but found none. Full details here.
- Saudi Arabia bans Nigerians from accessing visa
Many Nigerians are now used to frequent changes in visa policies and increased scrutiny at international borders, fueling anxieties whenever news of travel restrictions surfaces.
Action on this, an X user posted a memo showing that Nigeria and 13 other countries have been restricted from applying for visas of Saudi Arabia. The visas include short-term Saudi visas for business, tourist e-visas, and family visits, including persons wishing to go on a religious pilgrimage to a foreign country.
Our investigation, however, revealed that no credible media reported such an important development. Also, the Saudi Tourism Unified Centre (STUC) and the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria have not made any official communication about any ban.
More details can be found here.
- Liberia’s CDC loses 2023 election by 20,000 votes
In Liberia, former president George Weah alleged that his party, Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), lost to the ruling Unity Party (UP) by less than 20,000 votes during the 2023 elections in the country.
Our researcher checked data from the Liberian National Electoral Commission, which shows Mr Weah emerged as number one, accumulating 804,087 votes (43.88%). His main rival, President Joseph Boakai of UP, got 796,961 votes (43.44%).
This and other evidence revealed that Mr Weah’s claim that he lost by less than 20,000 votes is misleading. Read the full report here.
- Sokoto court sentences critic to 12 strokes of cane
In November 2024, the police command in Sokoto State arrested and charged Hamdiyya Shariff to court for insulting Ahmad Aliyu, the state governor, after she made a post advocating for displaced people.
In light of this, a claim started circulating across Facebook and other social media platforms that Hamdiyya had been sentenced to two years imprisonment or 12 strokes of the cane for her critical comments against the Sokoto government.
DUBAWA investigated the claim. We contacted a police chief in the state and obtained a statement by the lawyer to the young critic. We confirmed that the defence had just opened in the case, and no judgment had been given yet.
- Trump to liberate separatist groups in Africa
From Cameroon to Nigeria, separatist groups such as Ambazonia and Biafra are grappling with severe leadership crises that undermine their struggle for independence in the African countries, respectively.
With this backstory, a video with a speech emerged on Facebook which claims American President Donald Trump would interfere in the independence of the Ambazonian and Biafran separatists’ clamour.
How true is this? DUBAWA analysed the alleged statement attributed to Trump and discovered that the speech addressed the United Nations in 2017 and was unrelated to separatist movements.
