BY: Quadri Yahya
Claim:
Nigeria stands with Iran in a recent escalation with Israel.
Verdict:
Misleading. The claim stating the position of the Nigerian government over the attack between Iran and Israel is not true, attached picture is unconnected and not recent.
Full Text:
On April 13, 2024, an X (formerly Twitter) user posted on the platform that Nigeria has taken a side with Iran and Palestine in the ongoing crisis with Israel.
The viral claim follows Iran’s unprecedented large-scale attack of drones and missiles on Israel the same day. According to media reports, the attack was in retaliation to Israel’s prior attack at the Iranian diplomatic complex in Damascus, Syria earlier in the month, killing Iranian officials.
The social media user said that Nigeria has taken a side with Iran, accompanying the post with a picture of former President Muhammadu Buhari in a handshake pose with the former President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Hassan Rouhani.
As of press time, the post has amassed massive engagement with 2,386 reposts, 724 quotes, and 28,000 likes. More than 100 people already bookmarked the post in less than 72 hours when checked last by this medium.
FactCheckAfrica decided to work on the claim due to the sensitivity of the issue.
Verification:
FactCheckAfrica conducted a keyword search to know the position of the government on the attack and found that the Federal Government of Nigeria recently called on Iran and Israel to exercise restraint following an attack late Saturday night.
Francisca Omayuli, the Spokesperson of Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, made the call for diplomatic settlement in a statement in Abuja released on Sunday, 14th April, 2024.
FactCheckAfrica’s review of the two-paragraph statement revealed that Nigeria is not standing with any of the conflicting countries.
Using Google Reverse Search, an image verification tool, FactCheckAfrica discovered that the attached picture of Nigeria’s ex-President Buhari with Rouhani, the former President of Iran, has been online since November, 2015.
It was taken when President Buhari, the Nigerian former president, was being received by Rouhani, the-then Iranian leader for a summit in the country.
Conclusion:
Contrary to the post of the X user, findings revealed that Nigeria has not taken side with any of the conflicting countries in the Middle East.
