BY: Mustapha Lawal
Claim:
Social media posts circulating in April 2025 claim that Fulani herdsmen set the “largest yam market in the world” on fire in Plateau State, Nigeria. Posts include an image showing heaps of charred yams and smoking debris as evidence of the alleged attack.
Verdict:
False. There is no verified evidence that Fulani herders were involved in setting any yam market ablaze in Plateau State in April 2025. The image attached to the claim dates back to a 2021 market fire incident in Namu community.
Full text:
A post widely circulated on Facebook and WhatsApp reads: “Fulani herdsmen set fire on the largest yam market in the world located in the Plateau state, Nigeria.”
Screenshot of the Claim || FCA
The post includes a photo showing what appears to be burned yam tubers in an open marketplace, with smoke rising in the background. The posts surfaced during a time of heightened tension in Plateau, following deadly attacks in March and early April 2025.
Several other social media accounts and blogs (here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here) amplified the claim, further stoking fear and outrage, particularly across communities already experiencing inter-ethnic stress.
Plateau State has a complex history of ethno-religious tensions, often involving disputes between local farming communities and nomadic Fulani herders. These tensions have frequently been exploited online through false or unverified content that escalates panic and deepens divisions.
The danger of such posts lies in their ability to incite ethnic hatred, especially when paired with images or claims that appear real but lack context or verification. As FactCheckAfrica have previously reported, misleading claims during times of crisis can provoke retaliation, amplify disinformation, and distract from real humanitarian and security challenges on the ground.
Verification
FactCheckAfrica reviewed media coverage of recent violence in Plateau State, especially in the Bokkos Local Government Area, where over 40 people were reportedly killed in armed attacks on April 2, 2025. These incidents were widely reported by credible Nigerian outlets.
However, none of these reports mention any market, let alone the “largest yam market in the world”, being set on fire during these events. There was also no reference to Fulani herdsmen burning down markets in Plateau State in April 2025.
A review of the Nigeria Police Force’s verified social media channel also yielded no statements confirming such an incident.
Furthermore, a Google Reverse Image Search traced the viral photo back to April 2021. The original context shows that the image was taken after a fire outbreak at the Namu Central Market in the Qua’an Pan Local Government Area of Plateau State.
According to a 2021 report by Vanguard Newspaper, the fire destroyed a large portion of the market, including yam barns and other produce. There was no mention of Fulani herdsmen in relation to the fire at the time. Hence, the image is not recent, and its use to represent a 2025 incident is misleading.
Conclusion
There is no evidence to support the claim that Fulani herders set a yam market on fire in Plateau State in April 2025. The photo used is from a 2021 fire at Namu Central Market and has been misappropriated to stoke fear amid ongoing tensions in the state. As such, the claim is false and part of a recurring trend of misusing old images to promote false narratives.
