A video with a caption that a Kwara PDP Ward Chairman was beaten has been circulating on a community WhatsApp group.
The video footage that a WhatsApp user posted identified as ‘Ori’ shows some locals flogging a grown-up man tied to a coconut tree together with his blue trousers.
The caption on the video read:
BANI WARD PDP CHAIRMAN, KAIAMA LOCAL GOVT, who sold palliatives meant for his ward was seriously beaten by angry youths in the community. This should serve as a sound warning to all those with this kind of behavior.
However, the community WhatsApp group in which the video footage was posted accommodates no fewer than 300 participants as of April 3, 2024.
CLAIM
BANI WARD PDP CHAIRMAN, KAIAMA LOCAL GOVT, who sold palliatives meant for his ward was seriously beaten by angry youths in the community. On Wednesday, April 3, 2024.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The Elites Watch Foundation for Investigative Journalism (TEWFIJ) show that the claim is FALSE.
An independent investigation conducted by the TEWFIJ supported by an interview with one of the PDP members in Banni community area of Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State clarified that the community have neither accused nor flogged the party’s ward chairman for an alleged sale of palliative, adding that the video footage is misleading and inappropriate.
In addition, TEWFIJ in an interview with the acclaimed Banni Ward PDP Chairman expressed disappointment over the misrepresentation of his persons in the video footage, saying that he is never in custody of any palliative meant for the party’s faithful and do not speak the language in the video footage.
“The spate of fake news in this century is worrisome and appalling. Why would anyone misrepresent my person for someone who was accused of stealing palliative meant for party faithful when I do not possess any in my custody?
“I am utterly disappointed that the language spoken by the actors in the acclaimed video footage does not even correspond with my local language which is Fulfulde,” Aliyu Mohammed Banni told TEWFIJ.
When further comparing the photograph of the acclaimed beaten Kwara PDP ward chairman for Banni community as claimed in the video footage, the photograph obtained from one Aliyu Mohammed Banni contradicts the image extracted from the video footage.
Also, the interpretation of the language spoken by the locals in the video footage was confirmed to be from a non-Nigerian language-speaking community.
THE VERDICT
Based on the available information gathered from Interviews and responses from relevant individuals, it was confirmed that the caption on the video footage being circulated is FALSE.
