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For the latest edition of DUBAWA’s weekly round-up, we covered controversial issues from security, politics, and AI-generated photos, in Nigeria and internationally.
The continuous spread of misinformation across social media and other platforms underscores the critical need for verification, media literacy, and information literacy.
Here’s a breakdown of the claims diligently scrutinised and fact-checked by DUBAWA in the last week.
- Viral photos show snowfall in Freetown
A Facebook page shared photos of the Sam Bangura Building and other streets in Freetown covered in snow, claiming that “Di snow don block di road for we.”
The post suggests that Sierra Leone is experiencing snowfall, which has caused road blockages.
DUBAWA found that the photos purportedly showing snow in Freetown appear digitally altered, with unusually smooth and bright snow typical of AI or editing tools. The Sierra Leone Meteorological Agency reported no snow or extreme temperature drops, and no media outlets covered such event, indicating the claim is false.
- Viral claim bandit shot leader during wedding ceremony
A Facebook user claimed that a bandit mistakenly shot his leader during a celebration. The 53-second video showed a group of men gathered in a circle. One man holding a gun walked toward another and fired into the air. While he continued shooting carelessly, one of the bullets appeared to hit a man the Facebook user identified as the leader of the Fulani herdsmen in the gathering.
We discovered that the video does not show bandits or any terrorist-related incident. It captures a tragic wedding accident in Amdirib, Chad, where a ceremonial gunshot mistakenly struck and killed the groom.
- Deputy Minister of Information admit that SLPP had failed
A circulating nine-second edited video clip on WhatsApp, shared with the caption “SLPP ADMITS FAILURE,” claims that the Deputy Minister of Information and Civic Education publicly admitted that the SLPP-led government has failed.
However, we checked and found that the Deputy Minister’s words were taken from a four-minute video produced by Truth Media; however, the excerpt circulating on WhatsApp removes the necessary context. His statement referred specifically to Sierra Leone’s performance on the MCC Government Effectiveness Indicator, not an admission that the government “has failed.”
Truth Media has since issued a public clarification acknowledging that the clip and quote card were misleading without providing full context.
- Image used to claim capture of attackers in Abia
Since President Donald Trump’s statement on the state of security in Nigeria, social media platforms have taken to sharing diverse claims about kidnapping, attacks and conflicts in the country. One of such claims was shared by a Facebook user, @Teda vibes, who alleged that youths in Abia state captured over 30 armed Fulani Jihadists inside a forest.
The result of DUBAWA’s findings proves that the image used to claim the apprehension of bandits by youth in Abia is actually from the kidnapping of a priest in Kaduna. To further verify, DUBAWA spoke with the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of Abia State. She told DUBAWA that the police have no record of such an occurrence and explained that it is not the first time they have seen people create false stories about security progress and share them online.
