Fact Check
FACT-CHECK: Is Finland suing Nigeria in ICJ for accusing its citizen of terrorism and alleged atrocities against humanity?
Claim: BREAKING NEWS: Finland to sue Nigeria in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for wrongly accusing their high profile citizen of terrorism and alleged injustices and atrocities committed against humanity.
Verdict: MISLEADING
Full Text:
Mr. Simon Njoku Ekpa, a self-proclaimed Prime Minister of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), was arrested by Finnish authorities on the 21st of November, 2024.
Following his arrest, an X user (formerly Twitter), @Udtex247, claimed on the 1st of December, 2024, that Finland intends to sue Nigeria. His post reads: “BREAKING NEWS: Finland to sue Nigeria in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for wrongly accusing their high-profile citizen of terrorism and alleged injustices and atrocities committed against humanity.”
As of the time of this report, the claim had garnered 20.6K views, 320 reposts, 5 quotes, 820 likes, and 17 bookmarks.
Background:
The agitation for the establishment of Biafra has been a long-standing issue in Nigeria. This movement dates back to the 1960s which later escalated into the Nigerian Civil War, which lasted from 6th of July, 1967, to 15th of January, 1970. The war caused loss of lives and the destruction of properties. Despite the end of the war, the agitation persists.
A visit to the comment section of the post, some commentators doubted its accuracy, while some believed in it. For instance, @ugwuroko commented, “Stop posting fake news please,” while @ugomsinach73968 stated, ““In as much as I am for Simon Ekpa and Biafra, I don’t like fake stories. They kill moral when it turns out to be fake.”
Another User @BiafraNightmare who believed its authenticity posted, “I believe this is true 👏👏👏,” and @EzeGods02 commented, ““ the world now know Finland for it is, brown envelope country.”
Verification
Ripples Nigeria visited the official X page of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and found that such claim has not been posted on their page
Moreso, a visit to other credible media outlets shows that a claim of such has not been reported
Conclusion:
The viral post claiming that the ICJ is suing Nigeria is FAKE.
By: Muhammed Akindele
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