Verifying five claims made by Facebook page with pseudo-news site
Background:
A Facebook page, Express, with 15 thousand followers recently made a series of claims about China ordering its citizens to leave Nigeria following intense gunfire at Rivers State Government House, among others.
The Facebook page operates a pseudo-news website, DailyExcessive, that bombards visitors with ads. Also, links added to posts are often different from the stories that pop-up after a series of ads have been displayed.
About the Facebook page
According to the information under Facebook Page Transparency section, the page was created on June 9, 2019 with the name ‘Express newsng’ and changed to ‘Express’ on April 11, 2020. The page is managed by 4 people based in Aba, Nigeria. But the number on the page is a U.S. number. It identifies itself as a media/news company on Facebook, and as “number one entertainment hub” on its website.
Verdicts:
The posts by the Facebook page and its pseudo-news website are FAKE; the stories are not only misleading but could incite violence. An assessment of the website with verification tools revealed that it has low ranking and exhibits “characteristics or content that could pose risks”.
On Friday 4, President of China Xi Jinping ordered its citizens to leave Nigeria as a “Chinese intelligence spy” says the country is under Islamic States of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) siege.
“Breaking news: IS*S has taken control of Nigeria under the guise of herdsmen,” the headline on the article reads.
In the third paragraph, the article includes another narrative. It reads: “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has expressed his desire to seek a third term in office, despite constitutional limitations.
Speaking at a close-door meeting with top political allies, Tinubu reportedly stated that he would “love” to face former President Muhammadu Buhari in a presidential race, should the opportunity arise.”
Verification:
Ripples Nigeria reports that there is no report that the Chinese president ordered its citizens to exit Nigeria due to security concerns. There is no such information on the website of the Chinese embassy in Nigeria as well.
Upon clicking the link attached to the post, an incoherent three-paragraph story that surfaced give the source of the story as “a Chinese intelligence spy”, while concluding the same story with the concocted story about President Tinubu wishing to face former President Buhari, a member of the ruling All Progressive Congress.
Claim 2:
On Friday 4, militants seized control of Rivers State Government House.
Verification:
Ripples Nigeria recalls that on March 18, President Tinubu suspended Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy and all elected lawmakers for six months over the political brouhaha in the state. The President then installed a sole administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas (rtd) to oversee the state’s affairs.
Media reports show that militants had threatened oil production in the state, with explosion rocking facilities in different parts of the state in the past week.
However, there was no report of a gun duel at the State Government House as the post suggested. The most recent report from the State House was the announcement of the 2025 budget by the administrator of the state.
Using Google reverse image search on the pictures attached to the post, Ripples Nigeria discovers that two of the images first appeared online in 2020 and 2021, taken in Lekki Tollgate, Lagos State. Respectively, the pictures show protesters, and police officers at the Tollgate at the February 13 gathering in remembrance of the victims of #EndSars protest that happened in 2020.
The image from 2020 was captured on the night of the #EndSars protest, while the other was captured in 2021 as police officers gather ahead of a remembrance protest in 2021. Sources: Media reports.
Other images in the post have been online since 2019; they have been repeatedly used in the media to report fire incidents.
Images have been online since 2019. Sources: Media reports.
Claim 3:
Chinese President Jinping says he does not consider Nigeria as a country, but as “a British-created mini-company in Africa operating under the name Nigeria.”
Verification:
Ripples Nigeria observes that the article was published on April 3, and has been shared by 13 people with two comment.
Findings show the website does not include its source in the story, nor where the Chinese president supposedly made the statement. Also, the article quickly veered into another Chinese-Nigeria issue in its third paragraph.
There is no report suggesting that the Chinese leader made such a statement.
Claim 4:
“Igbo officer in U.S. Air Force vows to destroy Nigerian military asset if war breaks out between Igbos and Nigeria”.
Attached to the post are images of a U.S. Air Force Personnel and Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) group.
Verification:
Ripples Nigeria identified the image of the Air Force officer attached to the post as Kelechi Ndukwe, the first Nigerian-American to be appointed as the commander of a U.S. Navy warship in 2021.
Ripples Nigeria reports that there is no source in the entire 4-paragraph story. There is no evidence the Air Force personnel made such a statement as well.
Claim 5:
“Breaking news: Nnamdi Kanu spotted on Kenya Airways flight as Nigerian government transfers him back to Kenya”.
Verification:
Ripples Nigeria reports that Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra was first arrested in 2015 for crimes including treason and terrorism, but granted bail in 2017 after which he fled the country. He was later arrested in 2021 in Kenya, and had been held by the Department of State Services since then.
Since then, Kanu has been going to court from the DSS custody; a recent report shows that the IPOB leader is optimistic of his release in April.
On April 4, the media cited the President-General of the Igbo Community Association (ICA), Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ikenna Ellis-Ezenekwe as the source of the recent statement from Kanu.
Conclusion:
The Facebook page with a pseudo-news site has been found to share posts with preposterous, misleading claims about Nigeria.
By: Quadri Yahya
Source: Ripples Nigeria
