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Claim: A Sierra Leonean blog, The African Dream, alleges that a British Army Officer has been arrested in Nigeria for arms smuggling.
Verdict: Misleading! While it is true that a man with a military background linked to the British army has been arrested in Nigeria for arms smuggling, the picture of the wrong army officer was used in telling that story.
Full Text
A popular Sierra Leonean blog, the African Dream, has reported that a British Army Officer has been arrested in Nigeria for arms smuggling.
The report was published with a neatly dressed British Army Officer grabbed from behind by a hooded officer believed to be with the Nigerian security.
Except for the picture used, the post did not indicate the identity of the suspect arrested.
But the report has gone viral in Sierra Leone, just like in Nigeria.
Given the volatile nature of arms smuggling in the subregion and its potential to create general insecurity, DUBAWA decided to fact-check the claim in the report.
The fact-checker was interested in investigating whether a British Army officer had been arrested for arms smuggling in Nigeria and finding out the officer’s identity.
Verification
DUBAWA first had to ascertain if a British Officer had been arrested in Nigeria for arms smuggling.
Preliminary checks online confirm the arrest of a supposed “British army,” Major Micah Polo, as seen on the websites of Vanguard News, Punch Newspapers, and The Guardian Nigeria News.
The researcher spoke to Lois Ugbede, Assistant Editor at DUBAWA Nigeria, who confirmed the officer’s arrest.
However, the researcher found a statement issued by the spokesperson for the British High Commission in Nigeria denying the allegations that the accused is a “serving British army.”
Vanguard and Punch Newspapers reported that the British High Commissioner refuted the allegations in a statement, clarifying that the suspect, Major Micah Polo, was a former junior armed forces rank no longer part of the British army.
According to reports by The Guardian Nigeria News, Punch Newspaper, and Vanguard, Major Micah Polo was allegedly involved in the smuggling of 50 AK-47 rifles, six pump-action shotguns, and over 3,000 rounds of ammunition.
He was nabbed by the Department of State Services (DSS) while trying to leave Nigeria.
When the researcher googled the name Major Micah Polo, the picture it found was completely different from the one used by the blog.
The African Dream reported the story on Facebook on Wednesday, using an image of Colour Sergeant Joshua Mark Leakey, which contradicts Major Micah Polo’s image.
Image used by The African Dream
Hours after The African Dream posted the image, it has garnered 305 likes, 101 comments, and 208 shares, sparking different views among its followers.
Who is Colour Sergeant Joshua Mark Leakey?
Our Google Reverse Image Search results showed that Colour Sergeant Joshua Mark Leakey of the Parachute Regiment was born in 1988. A British soldier, he was said to have risked his life many times during the joint UK-US raid in Helmand, Afghanistan, running through gunfire to aid a wounded U.S Marine.
He was the only living British soldier to be awarded the Victoria Cross by Queen Elizabeth 11.
Who is Major Micah Polo?
Credible news outlets in Nigeria, The Guardian Nigeria News, Vanguard News, and Punch Newspaper, revealed that Major Micah Polo was arrested in Nigeria by the DSS for his involvement in the trafficking of arms.
Major Micah Polo is a dark-skinned man with a beard.
Using a Google keyword search, DUBAWA verified the original image of Major Micah Polo, which differed from the photo The African Dream posted.
Peoples Gazette Nigeria used the image of Micah Polo in a related publication, contradicting the image shared by The African Dream.
P.C. image of Major Micah Polo shared by Peoples Gazette Nigeria.
Conclusion
Our investigation proves that The African Dream’s image is misleading because it does not match that of Major Micah Polo.
