Photo of a Burned Child is Not from Oyo Crisis
The Claim
Innocent souls burnt by Fulani herdsmen in Igangan attack.
News posted on
Emerging story
A viral tweet posted by a former Minister of Communication during the President Olusegun Obasanjo administration, Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode, claims to be that of a father holding his burnt child purportedly burnt during the invasion of Igangan, Oyo state in South Western Nigeria by Fulani terrorists in the early hours of Sunday.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’s review of the photo shared by Mr. Femi Fani-Kayode, which is purportedly from Igangan, the scene of the attack shows it is false. A reverse image search of the picture shows that several copies exist and that the photo originates from the Ambazonian crisis in Southern Cameroon. This original photo was posted online three months ago. It is not from the Igangan, Oyo state, southwest Nigeria crisis.
Background to the Crisis:
The early Sunday morning’s invasion of the community, which saw several houses burnt and killed, is a reprisal attack from the Fulanis to the Yoruba community. According to Punch, ten people were killed, vehicles, petrol stations razed during the attack.
The residents of the predominantly agricultural community have continued to live in fear of the Fulani herdsmen, whose intermittent attack has been going on for a long while now. This led famous political activist Sunday Igboho earlier in January to issue a seven-day ultimatum to the Fulanis and their community leader, Seriki Fulani Abdukadir Salihu, accused of being behind and having knowledge of the attacks.
Following the expiration of the ultimatum, the residents collectively sacked the Fulanis, including the Seriki, whose house and cars were also burnt, vowing never to allow them back. With this, the Fulani promised they would retaliate sooner or later.
Unfortunately, the president, a Fulani, seen by many as biased and sympathetic to the Fulanis, was quiet with no official communication on the incident. His aides, Shehu Garba, Femi Adesina, and the Minister of Communication, who had barely a week ago called a press conference less than two hours after the president’s tweet was deleted, have all remained mute, choosing instead look away from the killings of innocent Nigerians in the South-West.
Speaking on the incident, popular political commentator, Reno Omokri, said it is sad that it appears Nigeria has more of a Northern president than a Nigerian President.
