FACT CHECK: Is this a skyscraper under construction in Aba?

CLAIM: A skyscraper with 130 stories is under construction in Aba, Abia State, Nigeria. It will be the second tallest building in the world.

VERDICT: False!

FULL TEXT

A Facebook page, Igbo Times Magazine, posted an image of a tall building under construction with the claim that it is situated in Aba, Abia State, and funded by one ‘Chukwu Emeka’. It added that “if completed, the building would stand at an incredible 139 stories tall, making it the second-tallest building in the world.”

VERIFICATION

The post reeks of red flags, raising suspicions that it is outright disinformation. Firstly, the first paragraph says it is ‘150 tall’, while the last paragraph says it is “130 stories tall” – these do not make any sense.

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Meanwhile, when subjected to a reverse image search, the image was found to be an archetype of a building to be known as Mercury Tower in Malta, an Island country in Southern Europe.

The 112 metre-high tower whose archetype was unveiled by the Zaha Hadid Architects in 2020, is expected to be the tallest building in Malta.

See evidence below:

By Olúwatóbi Ọdé̩yínka

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