Claim: A known Sierra Leonean social media activist, Sheka Forna, posted a photo claiming to be scenes of what happened during the entry into the capital city of the country’s main opposition party, the new flagbearer.
Verdict: False. A Fotoforensics analysis of the image shows the incident did not happen in Sierra Leone.
Full Text
A Twitter user, Sheka Forna @tonkolili, posted a picture on 22nd February 2022 claiming that it was shot during the entry of the All People’s Congress (APC) party’s newly elected Flagbearer, Dr Samura Matthew Wilson Kamara, into Freetown.
“Incredible scenes in Freetown as millions turn out to greet the return to #SierraLeone’s capital of Samura Kamara,” the Twitter user stated.
The Tweet added that the newly elected presidential candidate for the main opposition political party was coming into the city “following his election as APC flag bearer at the party’s convention”.
Dr Samura Kamara was among ten other flagbearer candidates who emerged successfully, making him the presidential candidate to lead the APC party in the forthcoming presidential elections in Sierra Leone.
Sheka Forna’s Comments Section
The post had received over 28.1 thousand engagements, with some raising doubts about the picture’s authenticity when this report was filed. One user said the image shows Nigeria’s APC party crowd. Another user notes: “This is Nigeria’s APC, not Sierra Leone’s.” A sarcastic but discrediting comment against the photo was made by “@Tunji,” stating that Sierra Leone does not have ample space to accommodate the crowd in the picture.
As a result of the controversy surrounding the image, DUBAWA decided to ascertain its authenticity.
Verification
A Google Reverse Image Search found the picture in an istock photo album and shows it has been used since 2006.
Again, DUBAWA discovered that the same picture was used to demonstrate how to prevent stampedes in crowded areas, especially in a stadium. The picture was used as far back as February 18, 2013.
Conclusion
Sheka Forna’s claim that the image was shot during the entry of the All People’s Congress (APC) party’s newly elected flagbearer, Dr Samura Matthew Wilson Kamara, into Freetown is false.
