By Pascal Ibe
Claim
An X user, Chukwudi Eze, claimed that three sister from Anambra state and their brother were arrested for kidnapping and killing their father recently.
Verdict
This claim is MISLEADING. Investigation by FACTWATCH Nigeria showed that the photo attached to the claim was an unrelated incident in Lagos state, which happened in 2024.
Full Text
The popular microblogging platform, X, has been a home for the promotion of ethnic bigotry since the tech billionaire, Elon Musk took over it.
In 2022, Musk announced the $44 billion deal to take Twitter Inc (TWTR.N), opening a new tab, and took ownership of the influential social media platform by firing top executives immediately.
“The bird is freed,” he tweeted in an apparent nod to his desire to see the company has fewer limits on content that can be posted. But Musk provided little clarity on how he will achieve his goals.
Musk brought the deal back to the table after previously trying to walk away from it. Musk had said he was excited to buy Twitter but he and his co-investors are overpaying.
As a platform with not too harsh rules, Nigerians have turned it into a yard of tribalism.
People mainly from three ethnic groups in the country — Igbo, Hausa, and Yoruba, go to the extent of maligning each other’s tribe.
Recently on the X platform, the online tribal banter between bigots from Nigeria’s Southeast and Southwest seems unending.
These people dug up old heinous crimes to malign each other.
Regarding this, an X user, Chukwudi Eze posted a photo of the paraded suspects and claimed that three sister from Anambra state and their brother were arrested for kidnapping and killing their father recently.
He shared the image with a caption that reads, “3 sisters from Anambra state and their brother arrested for kidnapping and killing their father. Igbo youth are becoming more barbaric 🤦🏿♂️
The post generated more than 46k views and hundreds of comments.
Many people who believed this claim condemned the incident.
Verification
FACTWATCH Nigeria checked the image attached to the claim on Google Lens Search and the results showed that this was an unrelated incident that happened in March 2024.
A Nigerian newspaper, Punch online reported that the Lagos State Police Command arrested four persons for staging the abduction of a lady identified as Agnes Ogbeh in 2024.
The newspaper used this photo as the Feature Image
It said the suspects included the alleged victim, Ogbeh, and three others identified as Margaret Itodo (25), Esther Anyanwu (24), and Anthony Chinakwe (24).
As the X user claimed, none of the three suspects bears the same surname. This is an indicator that the claim is MISLEADING.
What the police said in 2024
The Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the arrests in a statement with a video of the fake kidnapping posted on his official X account on Friday.
He explained that on March 19, 2024, Ogbeh, a resident of Akure, Ondo State, had travelled to Lagos and was reportedly kidnapped in Lagos.
“The ‘kidnappers’ demanded the sum of N5m for the release of Agnes. Upon receipt of the complaint, detectives of the command commenced a discreet and diligent investigation into the matter.
“The hideout was located where Agnes, the other lady in the video, and two others were found living freely together.
See similar reports on this here and here.
Conclusion
The X user deliberately made the claim to malign the Igbo tribe.
