A news report being circulated online claims that Charles Akalieze, a commander of the Nigerian Navy in Kogi state, has been detained at the Defence Headquarters for genocide. The news, retrieved from WhatsApp and archived here, was published by a blog named PointBlankInsight on November 9, 2023. The headline of the news reads, “Breaking News:...
Category: Peace & Conflict
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FACT CHECK: Did 15 Saudi Arabia Mercenaries Arrive Imo State to Fight Biafra Liberation?
Simon Ekpa, the self-proclaimed leader of the separatist and proscribed group, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has claimed that approximately 15 mercenaries from the Middle East have entered Imo State with the intention of manipulating the elections. This claim follows closely on the heels of his recent assertion of a self-declared lockdown in the...
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FACT CHECK: 195 feared dead as Appeal court affirms LP candidate winner of Reps seat?
A news report is circulating on social media with the headline, “195 fear dead, As Appeal Court Affirms Labour Party Candidate As Winner Of House Of Reps Seat”. The report, retrieved from the instant messaging platform, WhatsApp, was published by a news blog known as Famous Reporters on November 2, 2023. Claim: 195 feared dead...
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FACT CHECK: How true is the claim that bandits have asked all churches in Nigeria to shut down?
A video is making the rounds on social media with the claim that bandits have issued threat letters in which they have ordered all churches in Nigeria to shut down. The video, which was retrieved from WhatsApp on Sunday, October 29, 2023, shows a social media influencer with the alias Edobabe, alongside a clip of...
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FACT CHECK: How true is claim by LP’s Achonu that events no longer hold in Orlu zone, Imo?
Athan Achonu, the gubernatorial candidate of the Labour Party for the November 11 off-cycle governorship election in Imo state, recently had an interview on national TV where he spoke about issues bordering on the internal wranglings of the party and the security situation in the state. During the interview, Achonu made multiple claims regarding the...
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FACT CHECK: Eze of Orlu’s Palace Burnt Down Due To Support for Hope Uzodinma?
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...
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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,...