On Sunday, @Simon Ekpa, the self-proclaimed prime minister of the Biafra Republic Government in Exile, circulated a video clip through his X handle, claiming that CCTV footage captured Nigerian soldiers kidnapping a Biafran woman in Delta State.

The claim reads, “The CCTV footage of the terrorists @HQNigerianArmy kidnapping Biafrans in Delta State. We will increase our resistance against them in the coming days.”

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BACKGROUND

The agitation for the nation of Biafra was first championed by the eastern military regime under the administration of Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu. This led to the Nigerian Civil War, fought between 1967 and 1970.

Subsequently, various Biafra secessionist groups have emerged such as the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and the Biafra Zionist Front.

However, the emergence of the BRGIE has become a matter of concern, threatening Nigeria’s unity.

The Defence Headquarters declared Ekpa, a factional leader of IPOB, wanted alongside 97 other people for terrorism, violent extremism and secessionist threats against the country.

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CLAIM

The CCTV footage of the terrorists @HQNigerianArmy kidnapping Biafrans in Delta state. We will increase our resistance against them in the coming days.

As of the time of filing this report, the post had generated over 59,000 views, 2,000 likes, 1,500 reposts, 72 bookmarks and over 96 comments.

Reacting to the claim, @sparrow_unicoin commented: “OMG! Any Nigerian that is against what my Prime Minister is doing will surely die a miserable death. Amin.”

Similarly, @Toney Zee said: “We Biafrans should be very grateful to have our Prime Minister Simon Ekpa and Biafra Defence Forces in our hands. May they increase their daily wotowoto promax against our enemies in Biafraland.”

Also, @joeebonyi noted: “If we only have Simon Ekpa in Benue State, we will be grateful. Igbos must not miss this opportunity.”

Given the claim’s vitality and the misinformation being spread in the comment section, FIJ decided to verify the claim.

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VERIFICATION

FIJ conducted a Google Reverse Image Search on some screenshots of the clip and discovered that the video was not new as a similar one had been circulating online a few days ago.

The verification showed that @Mary Young TV uploaded the same video to YouTube on August 12, claiming the incident occurred in Edo, not Delta.

Likewise, @REMEDY BLOG posted the same video on Instagram on August 12 with a caption that the incident took place in Edo.

VERDICT

The claim that CCTV footage captured a woman attacked and kidnapped by Nigerian soldiers in front of a gate is misleading. Earlier sources claim the incident happened in Edo; none named soldiers as culprits.