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Claim: A Facebook user shared a video claiming that Northerners are protesting against the President Tinubu-led administration.
Verdict: Misleading! Evidence from similar videos posted on Facebook shows that the video has been online since September 2024, when the Northerners massively protested President Tinubu’s unfavourable government policies.
Full Text
Since the fuel subsidy was removed in May 2023, Nigeria has experienced depleting economic stability and a surge in the prices of goods and services, spelling untold hardship for many Nigerians.
On Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, a Facebook page called “Nigeria Military Gallery” shared a video allegedly showing ongoing protests in the North and claimed the incident was a recent outrage against President Bola Tinubu.
In the video, a crowd surrounds a billboard, tearing down images of President Tinubu and his wife.
“Angry Nigerians from Northern Nigeria pulled down Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 campaign billboard (and) vowed to vote against Bola Tinubu come 2027. This is totally unacceptable,” the video caption reads.
As of Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2024, the 19-second video clip has attracted about 75 likes, 32 comments, and nine reposts.
DUBAWA observed that many Facebook users believed the video was recent and supported the action.
Albert Iborigi said, “Let them still vote Muslim Muslim on (the) next election.”
Another user, Paul, wrote, “I think it’s their right, and they have every right to do what is not against the law of the land.”
Meanwhile, Sunday Fwah commented, “Una never see anything. Tinubu must come back again in 2027, shebi na Muslim Muslim tickets we want.”
Similar videos with similar captions were seen on Facebook (here and here) and X (here and here). Moreover, on Nov. 2, 2024, some blogs published similar reports (here and here) of Northerners protesting against President Tinubu and linked it to the recent blackout and tax reform bill passed to the House of Assembly for consideration.
Following the recent blackout and the rejection of the tax reform bill, DUBAWA decided to verify whether the protest happened recently.
Verification
DUBAWA carried out a Google Reverse Image Search on some screenshots of the video, and the results show that the video has been online since Sept. 2024. We saw videos posted on Facebook in September, as seen here and here.
In the footage, residents burn down a banner featuring President Tinubu and his wife with the inscription “Tinubu 2027.” Meanwhile, a voiceover in the background says, “The North is waking up now, Tinubu 2027 criminal. The only language a black man can hear better is hunger, Emilokan 2027 God forbid.”
Furthermore, DUBAWA reviewed credible media reports of any recent protest in Northern Nigeria over the continuous increase in the price of goods but found no report corroborating the timing of the video.
DUBAWA discovered that the video had been online before the North’s power blackout, which started on Oct. 22, 2024, affecting 17 states in the North. Northern governors rejected the tax reform bill in Kaduna on Oct. 28, 2024.
Conclusion
DUBAWA’s findings indicate that although the video is real, it is not as recent as claimed. It was uploaded before the power blackout and the controversial tax reform bill.
