By Pascal Ibe

Introduction

Tribalism remains one of the most significant and persistent challenges facing Nigeria today. It is a deeply ingrained issue that has historical roots, and it continues to manifest in various aspects of Nigerian life, from politics and governance to social interactions and economic opportunities.

In recent years, tribalism in Nigeria has become a dominant force, shaping national discourse and influencing individual behavior.

Tribalism is a central feature of Nigerian politics. Political parties are often formed and supported along ethnic and regional lines. The 2023 general election, for instance, saw candidates from the country’s three major ethnic groups—Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo—running for president, which heightened tribalistic sentiments on social media and in public discourse.

To an extent, tribalism has gotten deep into some Nigerians who now dish out heinous crimes committed in the past to malign and degrade each other’s ethnic groups

Claim

Regarding this, an X account, @uchechukwubiaf4 shared a video and claimed that Saudi Arabia just released the list of Nigerians sentenced to death over drug offences.

In the video, an unarmed female attached two screenshots of reports and claimed that the list released recently didn’t feature any Igbo names.

@uchechukwubiaf4 posted the video and wrote, “Breaking News: Saudi Arabia just released the list of Nigerian names on the Kpai roll, and there’s not a single Igbo person among them. Yoruba, well done

The post has garnered over 22k views and more than 429 reposts.

Verification

FACTWATCH Nigeria traced one of the screenshots attached to the video and discovered that TheCable, a Nigerian-based online newspaper, reported this incident in April 2019.

According to the report first published on TheNation in 2019, at least 23 Nigerians are on the death row in Saudi Arabia for “drug-related offences.

Citing a document, the newspaper said the Nigerians were convicted for contravening the Narcotic and Psychotropic Substances Control Law, which is punishable by death.

They were said to have been arrested between 2016 and 2017 at King Abdul-Aziz International Airport, Jeddah, and Prince Muhammad bin Abdulaziz International Airport, Madinah, having concealed the banned substances in their rectums.

See other news organizations in Nigeria that published this story in 2019 here and here.

In another screenshot attached to the video, which shows that “Saudi Executions Soar To 17 In Three Days”, the report by Channels Television a few days ago, didn’t disclose if those executed in Saudi Arabia were Nigerians or not.

This is an indicator that both the video and the X user are intentionally acting to fuel tribalism.

Verdict

The X user deliberately recycled an old incident as recent to push tribalism. Therefore, this claim is MISLEADING.