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CLAIM: A viral WhatsApp message claims Wike announced total movement restriction across the FCT from 8 pm on Friday, ahead of the area council election. A similar claim was shared on Facebook.
FINDINGS: The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) police on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, announced that a curfew will be in effect from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM on election day (Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026). However, in the early hours of Friday, a message went viral on WhatsApp claiming that the curfew would begin at 8:00 PM that night.
We discovered that the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, while declaring Friday a public holiday for workers, announced a longer curfew commencing from 8:00 PM on Friday. So while the police declared a 12-hour curfew (6:00 AM to 6:00 PM) on Saturday, Wike also announced another curfew, commencing at 8:00 PM on Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, lasting until 6:00 PM on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026.
VERDICT: TRUE
SOURCES: FCT Police, The Nation & Sahara Reporters.
DATE: 20/02/2026.
