Claim: Social media users alleged a photo they shared showing that the Aba power plant had been destroyed in an attack by Fulani extremists.
The Aba Power Plant, also known as the Aba Integrated Power Project, is a thermal power station located in Abia State, southeastern Nigeria.
The power plant, officially inaugurated in 2024, is part of efforts to improve electricity generation in the state and meet the energy demands of its vast commercial industry.
The Fulani herdsmen, also known as Fulani nomads, are a pastoralist ethnic group in Nigeria, scattered across the northern region of the country. They are known for their traditional occupation of cattle herding, which has been a significant aspect of their culture and livelihood for centuries.
In recent years, the Fulani herdsmen in Nigeria have drawn unpopular attention because of conflicts with farming communities in the middle belt and southern regions of Nigeria. These conflicts often arise from disputes over land use, grazing rights, resource competition, and ethnic and religious tensions, thus making them go as far as being extremists.
“Aba power plant on fire this morning, the fire was set by some suspected people believed to be Fulani herdsmen along the Odide-Oma road,” reads a post shared on X on March 7, 2024.
The post, which features a photo of a factory engulfed in flames, drew significant traction on X, with 213 comments, 223 likes, and 42,000 views. It had been shared 312 times as of the time of this report.
The account behind the claim, “Ipob Central Liverpool,” has a history of sharing content that align with the vision of the separatist group the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
IPOB is pressing for the independence of Nigeria’s southeast—the same region where the power plant is situated.
The X account credited the Igbo Times as the source of the claim. Igbo Times Magazine operates a blog and Facebook account, regularly spreading falsehoods. It has already been the subject of many Fact-checks.
DUBAWA has observed that the group often uses disinformation campaigns to further its political cause. This prompted a deeper search into the claim.
Verification
Using a reverse image search, we found that the picture dates back to CNN coverage of a blaze in April 2023 at the Pinova plant in Brunswick, in the US state of Georgia. The photo caption credited Kyle Morgan as the photographer. According to CNN, the plant “delivers speciality rosin and polyterpene resins,”not electricity, and was shut down in June 2023, for decommissioning this year.
Built by Geometric Power Limited, the 188-megawatt plant in Aba is projected to accelerate the industrial development of the region. Extremists have a history of attacking electric infrastructure in different parts of Nigeria. A local newspaper reported that at least 117 electric power installations were vandalized between 2022 and 2024.
The claim that the Fulani extremists destroyed the Aba power plant is false. On March 26, 2024, Geometric Power Limited marked one month since the Aba plant’s inauguration. “Over the past month, we have been engaged in technical testing of all three turbines,” the company said in a post on Linkedin.
There was no mention of any attack on the facility. Aba Power Limited, which distributes the electricity generated at the plant, labelled the claim as “fake news.”
Verdict
DUBAWA’s investigation reveals that the referenced attack by Fulani herdsmen on the Aba power plant is misleading. The image shared was from an event at a plant located in Georgia, United States.
The researcher produced this fact-check per the DUBAWA 2024 Kwame KariKari Fellowship, in partnership with Prime Progress, to facilitate the ethos of “ truth” in journalism and enhance media literacy in the country.
On social media, users claimed that the Aba power plant in Abia State, Nigeria, was destroyed by Fulani extremists. The Aba Integrated Power Project, inaugurated in 2024, aims to enhance electricity generation for the state's commercial industries.
The Fulani herdsmen, known for cattle herding, have recently been involved in conflicts in Nigeria over land, grazing, and resource competition, which has led to extremist activities. A post on X, which shared a photo of a factory on fire, attributed the fire to Fulani herdsmen. However, this account has a history of spreading misinformation aligning with the separatist group IPOB.
Upon verification through a reverse image search, it was found that the photo was from a fire at the Pinova plant in Georgia, USA, in April 2023, not an attack on the Aba power plant. Geometric Power Limited confirmed the Aba plant's operations were ongoing, and there was no attack on the facility.
In conclusion, the claim was found to be false, as the image used was misleading and not related to the Aba power plant.
