Fact-Check: Did Ghanaian Security Agents Intercept Gold Bars Allegedly Belonging to Nigerian Ex-Governor?
Habeeb Adisa & Rabiu Afeez
Claim:
A recent wave of social media posts, particularly on X (formerly Twitter), claims that Ghanaian security agents intercepted 978 bars of gold worth N8.2 billion, allegedly belonging to Nigeria’s ex-Governor of Zamfara, Abdulaziz Abubakar Yari.
Verdict: Unsubstantiated- The claim is unsubstantiated and lacks credible evidence or official confirmation, making it a likely case of recycled misinformation.
Full Text:
This claim initially surfaced in 2021, reported by theeconomyng.com and Nairaland, a platform often culpable for misinformation and disinformation. It has resurfaced on X (formerly Twitter), with significant engagement, particularly from users like @bapphah, whose post amassed over 232K views. Despite its resurgence, there is no official confirmation from either Ghanaian or Nigerian authorities to validate this narrative till date.
Verification:
FactCheckAfrica ran a simple desktop search through credible news sources in Nigeria and Ghana. official channels of ministries and agencies responsible for cases of such and it revealed no evidence supporting the interception of gold bars linked to Abdulaziz Yari.
Furthermore, FactCheckAfrica utilized our MyAI Fact-Checker tool to investigate this claim. The analysis confirmed that while the claim has been widely reported across social media and some blogs, it remains unsupported by any credible evidence. The lack of authoritative attribution and the absence of corroborating details suggest that this is likely recycled misinformation from 2021, now being used to gain traction on social media.
Also, Nairaland, one of the platforms involved in spreading this claim, has been culpable a number of times of disseminating both misinformation and disinformation. This pattern of recycling unverified information poses a significant risk of misleading the public, especially when associated with high-profile figures.
Conclusion:
The claim regarding the interception of gold bars by Ghanaian security agents is unsubstantiated and lacks credible/relevant backing for the claim verification.
