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Claim: A Facebook video showing Yahaya Bello flaunting his new car after escaping EFCC arrest.
Verdict: Findings revealed that the video has been online since 2020 when he was governor. The claim is misleading.
Full Text
There have been increasing rumours about the former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) laid a siege on him at his Abuja residence on April 17, 2024.
The White Lion, as he is fondly called, was going to be arrested for an alleged financial fraud of over N80 billion, among other things. But “where is Mr Bello?” The EFCC was able to answer this question after he had somehow escaped arrest. Things could, however, take a different turn, as Ola Olukayode, chairman of the EFCC, has promised to resign if he fails to prosecute Mr Bello.
As these events unfolded, various narratives emerged on social media, with users claiming to have spotted the fleeing politician. In one recently fact-checked by DUBAWA, he was allegedly seen leaping over a fence. While that was proven false, a video also surfaced with Mr Bello reportedly showing off a newly acquired car, even as the EFCC wants him.
The video caption read, “Ex-Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, who stole N85 Billion from state funds: Captured Chilling In His Multimillion Naira Mercedes Benz.”
Although the clip received few likes and comments, it has since appeared in multiple places, as seen here, here, here, and here.
Has the White Lion left his hiding place, or is this another fabricated post? DUBAWA conducted this verification to set the records straight.
Verification
We broke the clip into keyframes and conducted a reverse image search on a few. Results linked the video’s source to a 2020 First Weekly Magazine and Society Now publication.
These news blogs described the scene as Mr Bello test-driving his newly acquired “N98 million Mercedes Benz” after purportedly reducing Kogi state workers’ salaries. Newsrand, another blog also pushed a similar story in its Dec. 2020 YouTube post.
Conclusion
Like claims previously debunked by DUBAWA about Bello, this was also old footage, recycled to drive a new but misleading narrative.
