Claim: Some X users (formerly Twitter) shared videos of undraped women asserting that they were protesting over the recent hardship in Nigeria.
Verdict: Misleading! Findings show that the video is from November 22, 2023, when Awka women protested over the killing of their relatives.
Full Text
Since the removal of fuel subsidy by the inaugurated government of Bola Ahmed Tinubu in May 2023, there has been economic inflation in the country, leading to more struggling citizens. It started with news about how Nigerians chose to use gas as an alternative to fuel. As such, people who majorly ran their businesses with petroleum began to consider the use of gas despite the lingering dangers.
After that, and till now, the prices of goods and services are ever-increasing, thus making it difficult for many citizens to afford a living. Countless reports have also documented how some people across the country have resolved to vandalize trucks loaded with food items. See examples here, here, and here.
An X user, @ejykmykel1, shared a video of some undressed women protesting on the streets. Posted on Feb 17, 2024, at about 3:59 am, the post garnered over 762,000 views, 323 comments, 434 reposts, 413 likes, and 94 bookmarks.
The caption for this post reads: “Lagos women protesting naked, placing a curse on Tinubu over the hardship of the nation.”
We noticed in the comments that several people affirmed that the post was actual, while others said the information was false, adding that it happened in a different state for a different reason.
@Shemmie007, for instance, replied, “You guys are a menace. Fake news.”
Another user, @ugo_himself, buttressed, saying: “All these Yoruba women will just be annoying someone. Don’t you all have shame?”
@longinus_obinna also said: “Oga na old video be this o. Verify anything wey you dey post oo”
Prime progress observed that other X users also reshared the same video and caption in their accounts. See them here, here, and here. We also found traces of this post on Facebook.
Due to the discrepancies we noticed between the video and the comment section, DUBAWA decided to fact-check it.
Verification
After conducting a Google Reverse Image Search, we found the same video on X in a more explicit version dated November 23, 2023.
The caption reads: “Women in Awka go naked as they protest incessant killings of their kinsmen.” Unlike the previous video with a different background song, this one featured the authentic sound of women ranting indiscriminately. Between 0:20 and 0:30 seconds, there was also a man’s voice speaking a different language.
DUBAWA, after recognizing it as Igbo, reached out to several Igbo individuals for translation. They confirmed that the man was reiterating, “That is it. It is a protest that they are doing.”
However, since the evidence obtained was not credible enough, we still searched for more information to back it up.
We found reports here and here that confirm that the incident happened in Awka, Anambra state, Nigeria. The report explained that the protest emanated from a place of anger by residents over the mindless killings of their relatives.
It went on to elaborate that the women, who said they could no longer remain mute about the death of their relatives, decided to march around various parts of the capital city to express how fed up they were.
Confirming the incident, Chief Richard Onourah said they led the protest to let the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr Kayode Adeolu Egbetoku, the Anambra State Police Commissioner, CP Adeoye Aderemi, and the general public know about the atrocities the officers allegedly committed in Awka and its environment.
According to him, the protest was also a result of the constant killings and other major crime waves in Awka. The audio used in the claim does not align with our findings, as it was manipulated to have a different sound that carves a narrative around economic hardship.
This search goes against the claim that it was a recent protest by Lagos women over hardship, as no report recorded any such.
Conclusion
While the clip shows unclad women protesting, it has nothing to do with the claimed protest in Lagos over hardship. The actual footage is from November 2023, showing Awka women protesting over the continued killing of their relatives.
The claim circulating on X (formerly Twitter) that videos of undraped women protesting were over economic hardship in Nigeria is misleading. The videos, initially shared with captions blaming the current government for the hardship, actually originate from an incident on November 22, 2023, in Awka, Anambra state. In that incident, women protested against the killing of their relatives.
Economic conditions in Nigeria have worsened since the removal of fuel subsidies in May 2023, leading to inflation and increased hardships for citizens. Despite these hardships, the specific video in question is not related to economic protests but is rather associated with local community grievances over security concerns.
Verification through Google Reverse Image Search and additional reports confirmed that the video showed Awka women protesting the incessant killings and other crimes in their area. The original footage was manipulated with altered audio to create a misleading narrative of economic protest.
In conclusion, the claim that the video depicts a recent protest over economic hardship is false; it instead documents a legitimate protest in Awka concerning local security issues.
