TikTok logo: Image Source: The Verge.
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Since gaining popularity in Nigeria in 2020, TikTok has evolved from a youth-dominated platform for showcasing various trending dance steps to become a fertile ground for the spread of malicious and false information.
Given the platform’s strong algorithm, information on the app travels faster and reaches a wider audience compared to other social media platforms.
In recent times, online users have used the app to spread false information related to protests, governance, democracy, and particularly health.
In 2025, DUBAWA fact-checked numerous false health remedies spreading on TikTok, as seen here and here.
Beyond health checks, DUBAWA also conducted an extensive report on how a now-deactivated TikTok account with over 16,700 followers freely advertised charms to internet fraudsters.
As part of DUBAWA’s effort to sanitise the media space, we fact-checked several claims that thrived on TikTok. This piece examines five of such reports done during the outgoing year.
- Trump threatens to remove President Bola Tinubu
Following public outcry over the alleged killing of Christians in Nigeria, a TikTok user shared a video of the United States President, Donald Trump, threatening to deploy the US military to Nigeria to destroy Boko-Haram and depose President Bola Tinubu.
Having noticed some discrepancies and inconsistencies in the shared video, DUBAWA subjected the clip to a video verification analysis. The result revealed a strong probability that the video was generated using AI tools.
A keyword search for the words uttered by the US president in the viral video was not traceable to any trusted media publications. Find more details here.
- TikTok will be banned in Nigeria and Ghana
Another popular claim fact-checked was a viral video which alleged TikTok would soon be banned in Nigeria and Ghana due to the platform’s alleged excessive distraction of young users.
Due to the potential implications of the claim, DUBAWA probed it. An extensive search of the official websites of the Ministries of Information of both countries, as well as a keyword search on credible news publications, yielded no corresponding reports.
Furthermore, DUBAWA contacted Philip Teye, a journalist and fact-checker with the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), who debunked the claim as false. Teye said there was no official information to that effect. Find more details here.
- Video of burning Church in Northern Nigeria
For months in 2025, claims around alleged Christian genocide in Nigeria topped discussions across various social media platforms, particularly X, alongside other security concerns in the country.
Amid these conversations, a TikTok user shared a video of a burning building and claimed that it was taken during an attack on a church in Northern Nigeria.
Upon verification, DUBAWA discovered that the video was filmed during a fire outbreak at Kwapong Nursing Training College in the Asunafo South District of the Ahafo Region in Ghana, and not from any part of Nigeria, as claimed. Find more details here.
- Video promising TikTok users financial support, AI-generated
Nigeria’s economy was a significant topic of discussion in 2025. As citizens grapple with harsh economic realities, internet fraudsters are increasingly drafting new strategies to deceive unsuspecting members of the public.
During the year, some videos flooded TikTok, promising users a small amount of money when they click on an ‘Apply Now’ button attached to the video.
The video, which was shared in different local languages, Hausa and Yoruba, led a significant percentage of users to believe it was authentic.
Checks by DUBAWA, however, revealed that the posts were sponsored, while the video prompting users to click the “apply” button was generated using VEO, an AI video generator. Find more details here.
- TikTok video of restaurant filmed in Dubai, not Abuja
The last on the list was a TikTok user who shared a video of a restaurant and claimed it was located in Abuja, Nigeria.
With speculations over the actual location of the video, DUBAWA subjected the clip to a Google Maps and Google Earth search.
We found that the video was shot in Dubai, not in Abuja, Nigeria. Find more details here.
