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Claim: An X user posted a video showing people selling beside a railroad, alleging that they are immigrants living there due to a lack of housing in Toronto.
Verdict: FALSE. Our findings show that the video is a Lagos State, Nigeria, train line.
Full Text
The Oshodi Rail Line in Lagos State, Nigeria, is a crucial part of the Lagos Rail Mass Transit system, connecting Oshodi to other major areas within Lagos, facilitating transportation and reducing traffic congestion in the boisterous city.
On July 10th, 2023, the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences Unit Taskforce raided traders off the Oshodi railway track and Apongbon Bridge.
This follows a directive by the state governor, Babjide Sanwo-Olu, to eliminate street trading on highways and major streets in Lagos’s metropolis. This move was aimed at preventing environmental mishaps and ensuring the protection of lives and properties.
Meanwhile, an X user, Nya Pfannerstill (@Nyapfanner), posted a video of a train passing through with people selling around the train Line. According to this user, these people selling goods beside a railroad in Toronto are immigrants living there due to lack of housing.
The post’s caption read, “With no place to live, Trudeau’s immigrants are forced to live near the GO Train in Toronto”.
The post attracted about 184K views,431 likes and 170 reposts on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024.
Going through the comment section, we found out that scores of followers expressed disbelief in the narrative.
A user, @markbull2, said, “That’s not the GO train or Toronto.” Another user, @LoveMyWood, said, “That’s not a GO train. Take down the tweet.”
Seeing the level of engagement the post attracted and the contrary comments, DUBAWA decided to fact-check it to set the record straight.
Verification
We checked the official X handle of Tokunbo Wahab, the Lagos State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources and saw a post he made on February 13, 2024, in response to the trending video.
He clarified that it is in Lagos State, not Toronto, as claimed. His similar posts lucidly indicated that the move is by Lagos State to control environmental mishaps and is not related to immigration or poor housing facilities.
His words: “In response to the trending video of traders selling wares on rail lines, the Lagos State Ministry of the Environment and Water through the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (KAI), this morning, began immediate and sustained enforcement and clearing of the rail tracks”.
Furthermore, DUBAWA conducted a keyword search and a Google Reverse Image and found that the scenes in the video have been used by some local outlets here and there in news reports debunking the claim’s veracity.
Conclusion
Our findings show that the video claimed by the X user as a GO train in Toronto is a train line in Lagos State. Therefore, the claim is false.
