A Nigerian arrested at OR Tambo International Airport for alleged drug trafficking. Photo Source: Central News South Africa.
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Claim: An X user claims via a video online that a Nigerian was recently caught with drugs by residents in South Africa and forced to swallow them
Verdict: Misleading! The video of a Nigerian forced to swallow drugs in South Africa is not as recent as claimed. The video has been online since 2023.
Full Text
Amidst ongoing plans by South Africa to arrest those responsible for attacks on foreigners, as Nigeria continues to compile compensation claims for losses suffered by its nationals, both countries have pledged to tone down rhetoric over the violence.
In a related development, an X user @Zaddy_Bruh on July 24, 2026, shared a video (archived here) of a Nigerian pastor arrested for dealing with drugs in South Africa. In the video, the man was forced to swallow the drugs found in his residence.
The two-minute clip was captioned, “Angry South African Community members force a Nigerian drug lord to eat his drugs.”
Similar versions were uploaded on Facebook as seen here, here, and here.
As of Sunday, Jul. 26, 2026, the video had garnered over 400,000 views, 8,000 likes, 451 comments, and 8,700 reposts.
Most users under the comments condemned the video, while a few others applauded South Africa.
One user, @GeorgeUwaifo, suggested, “This is so barbaric! South Africans, this is not the way to go! If he was caught with drugs, the police should handle the situation.”
Another comment by @Kwaku39 reads, “This is not right at all.”
Meanwhile, @StephenDon54664 said, “They know how to treat their scum.”
Given the current hostilities between the two countries and the risk of sparking further violence, DUBAWA decided to verify the post.
Verification
DUBAWA took a few screenshots of the video and subjected them to Google Reverse Image Search. Our search linked us to a similar video shared on X in January 2023.
The post linked the incident to a raid in Springs Town, South Africa, where a Nigerian pastor was forced to consume drugs found in his possession.
Furthermore, similar videos were found on Facebook here and here. Using Google Translate, the posts indicated that a Nigerian pastor in Springs Town, South Africa, was caught in possession of drugs in 2023.
Following a keyword search, DUBAWA found a report about the incident published by The South Africa. The outlet gave details about an acclaimed Nigerian pastor in South Africa who was caught with drugs and forced to consume the content. The video was released in Springs, Gauteng.
Conclusion
DUBAWA’s findings reveal that the video has been online since 2023 and has no link with the recent deportation of Nigerians from South Africa. The claim is therefore misleading.
