On September 12, 2023, a video with several captions was circulated across the X (formerly Twitter) social media platform. The 45 seconds long video has different captions that include: “Palace of the Eze of Orlu was burnt by unknown people, following his open Support for Gov. Hope Uzodinma.#iPhone15Pro #AbujaTwitterCommunity #AbujaXCommunity #AbujaTradeFair #Lagos #LaResistenciaLulo #AllInLoveWithHanbin” Another...
Category: Peace & Conflict
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All you need to know about the Wagner group’s operations in Africa
With the widely reported death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner group, and later enstranged ally of Russian President Vladmir Putin, there has been a groundswell of online interest about the group, particularly its activities in Africa. Online speculations have also been rife about which African countries are currently hosting the mercenary group and...
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FACT CHECK: Did a Russian Aircraft Carrying Wagner fighters land in Niamey, Niger?
A Nigerian blog in a news report claimed that a Russian aircraft carrying Wagner fighters had landed in Niger. The report was published as breaking news with the tag, “A Russian aircraft carrying hundreds of Wagner fighters has landed in Niamey, the capital of Niger.” CDD War Room ran a check to verify the authenticity...
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FACT CHECK: Does video show men of the Niger army preparing for war?
A video of a group of soldiers, purportedly from the Niger Army, has been widely circulated on social media and messaging platforms, such as Twitter, TikTok, and WhatsApp. According to various captions, the Niger soldiers are preparing to defend their country against the ECOWAS mission. The military staged a coup and suspended democratic rule in...
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FACT CHECK: Did Wagner group confirm its armed/combat division’s presence in Niger?
On July 27th, 2023, military officers in Niger announced a coup on national TV. They said the democratically elected cabinet of Mohamed Bazoum had been dissolved, just as they announced the suspension of all democratic institutions. Since the announcement, the president has been held hostage by the presidential guard. Shortly after the military took over,...
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FACT CHECK: Did Boko Haram attack Utu in Toto LGA Nasarawa?
On June 7, 2023, a two minutes, 50 seconds video with the caption “Boko Haram is attacking a community in Nasarawa State” was circulated across WhatsApp. The caption reads: “HRH Emir of Nasarawa cautions that we should be careful about going to farms, night journeys and avoid early morning journeys.” Verification The video was examined...
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FACT CHECK: Were several shops owned by Northerners razed in Imo community?
A video circulating on social media purportedly shows the moment shops were razed in Imo State, Southeast Nigeria. In the video posted on TikTok, it was said in Hausa that the properties being burnt belonged to Northerners in the community. As can be seen here, here, here, and here, the video has since gone viral,...
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FACT CHECK: Did Niger military leader say Tinubu government is illegitimate?
On July 30, 2023, a Twitter user uploaded an image with the caption “BREAKING: Your Government is illegitimate. I will not listen to you- General Tiani, Niger Military Leader replies Tinubu as the chairman of ECOWAS.” The tweet has garnered over 472k views as at the time of compiling this fact-check. A similar version of...
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FACT CHECK: Reducing terrorism and banditry
CLAIM: Did President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration curtail terrorism and banditry in Nigeria? CONTEXT: The outgoing President in his speech on 28th May, 2023 said, during his administration the federal government has been able to curtail terrorism and banditry in the country. He said, “As I complete my term in office, we have been able to...
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FACT CHECK: Did Iwuanyanwu say Yorubas are political rascals?
Charles Soludo, who was sworn in as the fifth civilian governor of Anambra state in March 2022, held a town hall meeting last weekend, to celebrate his first year in office. Former president Olusegun Obasanjo, Peter Obi of the Labour Party, and Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, chairman of the elders’ forum of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, among other dignitaries,...
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