Claim: A Facebook account recently shared footage showing a crowd in a desert, implying the people in the crowd were Nigerians seeking a better life in a foreign land.
Verdict: The footage is misleading. It originates from an older clip depicting a deportation incident of several Africans from Algeria and Libya to Assamaka, Niger.
“ Japa” is a Yoruba slang term from Nigerian Pidgin English that means to flee or escape. It is often used to refer to emigrating or leaving a difficult situation in search of better opportunities. It has gained popularity recently, particularly among young Nigerians looking to move abroad for better economic prospects.
The concept has driven many Nigerians to seek better opportunities abroad, influencing career choices and increasing emigration. Young professionals, students, and families are pursuing in-demand international IT, healthcare, and engineering careers. This trend has led to significant investments in skills, education, and financial planning for emigration-related expenses while boosting remittances supporting families back home.
Social media success stories amplify the “Japa” phenomenon, creating urgency and dissatisfaction about Nigeria’s socio-economic conditions.
Amid this lingering desire, a Facebook platform titled ‘Progressive Nigerian Politics’ recently shared a video of a group of people who can be seen walking across an open field that resembles a desert, though it’s only a plain, sandy area. Some people in the crowd are carrying bags, while others walk empty-handed.
Nigerian music plays in the background, and as the camera rotates, it captures different angles of the crowd moving, with happy expressions on some faces. The 58-second video was shared on June 17, 2024, at about 9:48 PM.
The caption that follows the video reads: “Jakpa: Some Nigerians seen travelling through the desert for greener pasture.”
Many users affirmed the authenticity of this claim.
Cyril Orji commented: “Please when the next batch is going, someone should contact me oooo! With the way Nigeria is going now, in the next 3 years, humans will eat fellow humans as food.”
Ikechukwu Anaba added: “Strangely, some of them voted for this present government. But after shege pro max of 1 year, they want to run. I wish such people would be repatriated back to Naija to complete their tenure of the fallen mandate.”
In a tone of empathy, Shepuya Mamman Kozah said: “Lord, please protect them.”
When viewed, the post had 1,100,000 views, 7,500 comments, 22,300 likes, and 10,200 shares.
Weighing the likelihood of the claim being false, DUBAWA decided to verify it, particularly because of its virality.
Verification
DUBAWA subjected a screenshot from the footage to a Google Lens search. The results revealed many such claims posted across various platforms. See some here, here, and here.
Nevertheless, this led DUBAWA to the same video on YouTube that we shared a year ago. The caption, written in French, translated to “The border between Algeria and Niger.” The earlier video lacked the recent version’s audio and featured indistinct chatter from moving people.
DUBAWA conducted further searches and discovered a report with images matching those in the earlier video used for the claim. Published in March 2022 by Alarme Phone Sahara whistleblowers in Assamaka, the report detailed how people in the desert were unofficially deported from Algeria on January 23, February 7, and March 8, 2022.
According to the report, in January 2022 754 deportees arrived on foot in Assamaka, a small desert town in Niger. Among them were women and three minor boys. The largest groups of deportees were 219 Malians and 244 Guineans.
The remaining deportees included 97 nationals from Sudan, 21 from Senegal, 31 from Burkina Faso, 32 from Ivory Coast, and 18 from Sierra Leone.
Others are 17 from Cameroon, 20 from Benin, 13 from the Gambia, 17 from Nigeria, eight from Chad, three from Niger itself, three from Ethiopia, two from Liberia, four from the Central African Republic, four from Eritrea, and one Syrian.
The report also noted that the unofficial convoys were abandoned at “Point Zero,” a border area between Algeria and Niger in the middle of the desert. Deportees were left to walk 15 to 20 kilometres through the desert to reach Assamaka, the first Nigerien town after the Algerian border.
DUBAWA checked for reports from reputable Nigerian media regarding this recently claimed post but found none.
Conclusion
Results from DUBAWA’s investigation indicate that the recent clip alleging Nigerians are leaving the country through a desert is false. Instead, the evidence points to an old incident involving deportees travelling to Niger.
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.
A Facebook account recently shared a misleading video implying that Nigerians were seeking better lives abroad. However, the footage actually depicts an older incident of Africans being deported from Algeria and Libya to Assamaka, Niger.
"Japa" is a Nigerian slang term meaning to flee in search of better opportunities, reflecting a growing trend among young Nigerians emigrating for better economic prospects. This has led to increased investments in education and skills for international careers, boosting remittances to Nigerian families.
A recent Facebook post by 'Progressive Nigerian Politics' featured a video of people walking in a desert-like area, mistakenly labeled as Nigerians traveling for greener pastures. Despite its popularity and numerous affirming comments, a DUBAWA investigation using Google Lens revealed the video to be old footage of deportees at the Algeria-Niger border.
The video, originally in French and lacking the Nigerian music overlay, was tied to a March 2022 report detailing the unofficial deportation of Africans from Algeria to Niger. Matching images in the report confirmed the video's true context. Despite its virality, no reputable Nigerian media corroborated the recent claim.
In conclusion, DUBAWA's fact-checking confirms the video does not show current Nigerian emigrants but past deportees, debunking the misleading claim.
Produced per the DUBAWA 2024 Kwame KariKari Fellowship, in partnership with Prime Progress, to promote "truth" in journalism and enhance media literacy.
