The truth behind viral male organ theft claim in Abuja

Claim: A man’s manhood has been stolen in Abuja.

Verdict: The viral image was manipulated to propagate a false narrative. Moreover, there has not been a medical confirmation for any alleged victim of organ theft.

Full Text

The earliest documentation of manhood disappearance traces back to the 1970s, coinciding with the onset of the first oil boom. As those unable to partake in the oil wealth allegedly sought alternative avenues for financial gain, an extraordinary event emerged – a mere handshake leading to the mysterious vanishing of a man’s genitalia.

According to Sahara Reporters, the mechanics of this phenomenon are deceptively straightforward. An incidental encounter between two individuals concludes with one man vehemently asserting the sudden disappearance of his manhood.

Lately, there has been an increase in reported cases related to the disappearance of genital organs, particularly in states located in the North Central region, such as Kogi, Nasarawa, Kaduna, and the national capital, Abuja.

Amidst this controversy, Ijeoma Michael, a Facebook user posted an image of a man’s body whose manhood was allegedly stolen in Abuja. The image displays the groin entirely removed, leaving a smooth surface. Ms Michael’s post received mixed reactions from other Facebook users. While a few were sceptical, many instantly believed and began to cover themselves with “the blood of Jesus.” 

A user with the username “Okonkwo Ruth” even went as far as claiming that the incident was a prophecy being fulfilled. She said; “It might be true. One pastor prophecy about it.”

Unlike Ms Ruth, Bigger Bullet, sceptical, said the photo is of a female footballer. “This is a female but a footballer,” the user wrote.

Left in a state of shock and disbelief by the uncertainties surrounding this viral image, which seems to be the first piece of evidence since the rumours of organ theft began, a question is posed. Is this photo authentic? DUBAWA provides the answer in this fact-check.

Verification

Firstly, we conducted a reverse image search but found no related photo. Likewise, keyword searches produced no convincing results. 

We then carefully examined the image using FotoForensics, a tool designed for photo analysis. The results of an Error Level Analysis (ELA) conducted indicated a distinct high-contrast pattern around the stomach and groin region, notably different from the rest of the body.

Our scrutiny extended to the image’s meta-data, which typically discloses information such as the image source, time-stamp, and location. While the tool could not unveil the image’s time-stamp and location, it did identify it as a creation of Photoshop version 3.0.

To validate our findings, we replicated the analysis using Forensically Beta, another photo analysis tool. Surprisingly, the ELA results mirrored those obtained from FotoForensics, with the meta-data consistently attributing the image to Photoshop 3.0. Furthermore, the tool’s clone detection feature highlighted multiple irregularities, solidifying our suspicion that the image had undergone digital alterations.

In Aug. 2023, the Nasarawa State Police Command issued a warning to residents, urging them to refrain from administering jungle justice to individuals accused of organ theft in the state. The command revealed that some people had already been attacked on similar allegations in Nasarawa Eggon, Obi, Lafia, and Keffi Local Government Areas.

However, the State’s Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ramhan Nansel, speaking to the Daily Post newspaper, noted that a thorough medical examination on the presumed victims confirmed their good health, dismissing any basis for the allegations. 

In Sept. 2023, Lucky Josiah, a resident of the FCT was indeed lucky to have been rescued from being lynched by an angry mob. He had been accused of stealing one Rokeeb Saheed’s manhood in the Gwagwalada area of the Federal Capital. Contrarily, SP Josephine Adeh, the FCT Police Public Relations Officer while confirming the occurrence, told the Daily Post that Mr Saheed’s organ was confirmed to be fine after medical examinations.

Despite the increasing instances of mob justice stemming from this matter, there is yet to be a medically confirmed case of a purported victim losing his manhood to these alleged thieves. Conversely, the police have categorised these incidents as groundless and cautioned the public against perpetuating false alarms.

Conclusion

The viral image was doctored to drive a false narrative. Not only that, there is yet to be a medical confirmation of any alleged victim of organ theft.