In a continued effort to combat misinformation across digital platforms, Dubawa has verified several public claims from last week. The organization found that an image circulating online, claiming that Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate Peter Obi was hospitalized after breaking his neck on a gym treadmill, was likely artificially generated. AI detection tools, including Sightengine and Hive Detect, indicated a high probability of artificial generation, while Google SynthID confirmed the visual was created or edited using OpenAI tools.
Another claim verified by Dubawa involved President Bola Tinubu stating that God had revealed a solution to Nigeria's insecurity if he is re-elected for a second term. However, a review of the official State House press release issued on October 30, 2026, regarding President Tinubu's Umrah pilgrimage to Makkah, showed that he only offered prayers for guidance, peace, and national progress, without mentioning a specific strategy to solve insecurity.
A viral video shared on Facebook claimed that the Emir of Katsina, Abdulmumini Usman, rejected President Tinubu's APC campaign council delegation due to rising hunger and insecurity in Nigeria. Dubawa conducted keyword searches and reviewed media coverage of the delegation's visit, finding that while the Emir did caution politicians against making unfulfilled promises and expressed concern over economic hardship, there was no credible report of him rejecting the group.
A Facebook video showed a line of uniformed men walking with their hands raised, accompanied by a claim that bandits abducted and killed them, and that bandits have taken over Africa. Dubawa extracted keyframes using InVID-WeVerify and ran reverse-image searches, linking the video to ongoing armed conflicts in Northern Ethiopia, not Nigeria. The footage does not depict Nigerian soldiers, nor is there evidence to support the claim of a continent-wide bandit takeover.
Following President Tinubu's request for a supplementary external borrowing plan of over $20 billion, a Facebook page claimed that former President Olusegun Obasanjo urged Nigerians to reject Tinubu's second-term ambition due to excessive debt. Dubawa discovered that while Obasanjo criticized Tinubu's borrowing philosophy during a public event in Abeokuta on October 30, 2026, he did not call on Nigerians to reject Tinubu or oppose his 2027 presidential bid.
Lagos State's APC governorship candidate, Obafemi Hamzat, claimed that Lagos State has become the startup capital of the world. However, Dubawa checked the StartupBlink Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2026, which ranked Lagos 70th globally. While Lagos holds the 1st position within Sub-Saharan Africa for startup talent and tech clusters, it does not rank first worldwide.
Dubawa's efforts to verify public claims aim to strengthen information integrity across Nigeria and West Africa. The organization continues to investigate and debunk false narratives, promoting a more informed public discourse. Key points verified last week include the artificial generation of an image claiming Peter Obi's hospitalization, the misrepresentation of Tinubu's comments on insecurity, and the rejection of claims about the Emir of Katsina and Nigerian soldiers.
Key points
- Image of Peter Obi hospitalised was likely artificially generated.
- Tinubu did not state God revealed a specific strategy to solve insecurity.
- Lagos is not the startup capital of the world.
