Claim: A viral video shows youth in Bodinga, Sokoto State, assaulting a Chief Imam for campaigning for the APC Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket while preaching.
Verdict: Misleading. The viral video was filmed in Sudan, and the accompanying image is AI-generated. The Secretary of the Association of Qur’anic Scholars (Alarammomi) in Bodinga confirmed that no cleric was assaulted.
Full Text
Amid recurring political discourse surrounding the All Progressives Congress (APC) Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket in Nigeria, claims erupted across social media alleging that an Islamic cleric was assaulted by angry youth in Sokoto State.
A widely shared post written in Hausa on Aug. 24, 2026, claims that the incident occurred while the imam was preaching, saying that whoever does not vote for Muslim/Muslim should doubt their faith.
Part of the caption translated to English reads, “Some youth beat up a mosque imam for campaigning for Tinubu on the pulpit; the incident happened in Bodinga Local Government Area of Sokoto State.”
The narrative gained widespread traction when former minister Solomon Dalung also shared the claim, disclaiming that it is unverified.
A Facebook page, Hausawa, shared a video (archive here) purportedly showing the assault with the caption, “this is the video where some youth in Bodinga assaulted the chief Imam for calling people to vote for Muslim Muslim”.
As of Aug. 26, 2026, the video has 79,000 views, over 2,100 reactions, 384 comments, and 482 shares.
The claim sparked mixed reactions online. Hassan Yahaya Dahiru commented, “You did the right thing, I swear”.
Another user, Kefas Trump Habila, wrote, “Good one, we must stand shoulder to shoulder to salvage our land.”
Meanwhile, Rukkayya Dangwaram expressed scepticism, asking, “Is this a joke or reality?”
Given the nature of the claim and its potential to trigger ethno-religious and political tensions, DUBAWA investigated the claim.
Verification
DUBAWA conducted keyword searches and found no credible reports across reputable Nigerian national dailies and local media outlets in Sokoto State of an Imam being assaulted over political remarks in Bodinga.
An analysis of one of the viral images used to amplify the narrative using Google’s SynthID tool revealed that it was AI-generated.
A closer manual observation showed classic synthetic anomalies, including distorted hands, merged fingers, and unnatural facial structures among the background figures.
To verify the video clip, DUBAWA extracted keyframes and ran reverse image searches. The results traced it back to a Dec.15, 2025, Facebook video shared in a Sudanese community group called (Zol Market | Sudan Market).
The accompanying Arabic caption, translated to English, reads, “Clashes inside a mosque in the city of Nyala… Where is the peace, oh ‘government of peace’?” Referring to Nyala, the capital city of South Darfur in Sudan.
This confirmed that the video is not recent, originated from Sudan and has no connection to Bodinga or Nigerian politics.
Furthermore, DUBAWA contacted Jabir Umar, a Secretary of the Association of Qur’anic Scholars (Alarammomi) in Bodinga. Jabir dismissed the viral claims as completely false.
Clarifying what truly transpired at the local JIBWIS Mosque in Bodinga, Jabir noted that the facility had been renovated with the Governor and other high-ranking government officials present for its official commissioning on Aug. 21, 2026.
However, heavy rainfall on Friday disrupted the planned 12:00 PM – 1:40 PM schedule, pushing the Juma’at prayer back to 2:30 PM. This delay led to early departures and visible frustration among some worshippers.
“Apart from that delay, no physical altercation or violence occurred”, he added.
DUBAWA also examined the live broadcast of the occasion provided by Rima Television, an arm of the Sokoto State Media Corporation, and confirmed there was no altercation during the commissioning.
Conclusion
The claim that an Imam was beaten by angry youth in Bodinga, Sokoto State, for campaigning for the APC Muslim-Muslim ticket is Misleading. The video is from Sudan.