FACT CHECK: Is this a video of APC thugs shooting armless voters as alleged by LP, PDP?

CLAIM: A video is circulating on social media, showing gun-wielding men shooting at armless persons. Many who have posted the pictures claim that they are working for the All Progressive Congress (APC).

VERDICT: Misleading.

FULL TEXT:

The video was shared by the People’s Democratic Party on its official Twitter and Facebook pages, on election day, February 25. It claimed that the assailants in the video were supporters of the APC attacking polling units in Kogi. The caption reads: “This is happening in many polling units in Kogi State. Armed Thugs, suspected to be @OfficialAPCN supporters, raiding polling units and dispersing voters with guns and other dangerous weapons. Security agents, please take note @PoliceNG @HQNigerianArmy”.

About three hours after, the Labour Party posted the same video claiming that the location is Ebute metta in Lagos. The caption of the video read: “At costaine apapa road ebute metta area boys are not letting Igbos to vote oooooo”

Read also:FACT CHECK: Is this video of a ballot box snatcher gunned down in Nigeria?

Meanwhile, an older version of the video was found to have been published on the morning of Saturday, posted by the self-acclaimed leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Simon Ekpa, claiming that the attack occurred in Port Harcourt. He wrote: “Gov Wike Thugs on Rampage against Peter O supporters* Election no be war but port Harcourt no go gree. This is Wike’s boys on rampage in Portharcourt against PETER OBI/DATTI. This is the impunity we are against and the reason we must not validate Nigeria again”.

VERIFICATION

Ripples Nigeria could not trace the original source of the video but it does not look like the attack happened in a polling unit as claimed by the PDP and Simon Ekpa. There were no traces of an electoral exercise in the video.

The difference in the claim of location also puts a question mark on the credibility of the video.

CONCLUSION

The claim that the thugs in the video disrupted an election or that they are sponsored by the APC is misleading as there is no shred of evidence to support the claim.

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By Odeyinka Oluwatobi

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