Screenshot from the viral video: Source: Omooba of Lagos.
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Claim: A Facebook user, Omooba of Lagos, shared a video of children lying on the floor while calling on Governor Seyi Makinde for the release of the abducted children.
Verdict: False. The video was circulating online weeks before the abduction of pupils and teachers in Oyo State and is unrelated to the incident.
Full Text
On June 2, 2026, a Facebook user identified as Omooba of Lagos posted a video (archived here) showing a group of children lying on the floor with flies hovering over them. The user used the video to call on the Oyo state governor, Seyi Makinde, to release the abducted children.
The post’s caption reads, “Governor Seyi Makinde, I won’t stop calling your name. You call yourself the number one citizen of the state. Security votes you’re collecting. Seyi Makinde, I am highly disappointed, sir. Seyi Makinde, give these kidnappers the money they are asking for. Is it until they kill these children? What are they even eating where they are?”
As of June 3, 2026, the post had garnered more than 54,000 views, over 1,100 reactions, 102 comments, and 129 shares.
Several users reacted to the post, believing the children in the video were the victims of the recent abduction.
Famicit Joy, “God have mercy on these children and bring them back home safely.”
Olonade Samuel Afolabi, “It’s high time we think of a better Nigeria. If we are ready for change, it’s in our hands.”
Aina Oyekanmi, “This is disheartening, I swear. These children are in pain. Please help these children.”
Ajayi Solape Mofe: “How much are they asking for that the governor or president can’t afford?”
DUBAWA also observed that other Facebook users shared the video here and here with a similar narrative linking it to the Oyo abduction incident.
Given the widespread circulation of the claim following the abduction of teachers and pupils by gunmen in Oyo State on May 15, 2026, DUBAWA investigated its authenticity.
Verification
DUBAWA subjected the video to verification using InVID-WeVerify, a digital verification tool.
The analysis revealed that the video had appeared online before the Oyo abduction incident. Results showed that the earliest trace of the footage was posted on April 7, 2026, while the Oyo kidnapping occurred on May 15, 2026.
Further findings showed that the video was originally shared on an Instagram account identified as @williamcharityo. A review of the account revealed several other videos related to the same footage.
Although the videos were shared without any caption or details, the timeline of the video online contradicts claims that it depicts children abducted during the recent Oyo school kidnapping.
Conclusion
The claim that the video shows children abducted in the recent Oyo school kidnapping incident is false. Evidence obtained through video verification shows that the footage was already circulating online more than a month before the abduction occurred.
