Fact-Check: Did Kano Police PRO Repost 2011 Photos for #EndBadGovernance Protest, as Claimed by Sowore?

BY Dauda Musbau and Abimbola Success

Claim

Kano Police Command’s PRO posted the same photos in 2011.

Verdict

Reports show that the Kano Police Command’s PRO, Abdullah Haruna Kiyawa was enlisted into the Police Force in 2012 and became PPRO in 2019. The claim that he posted the images in 2011 is False.

Full Text

The Presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in 2023 and Converner of #RevolutionNow, Omoyele Sowore posted on his X page on August 1, the first day of the #EndBadGovernance protest in Nigeria that the Kano State Police Public Relation Officer, Abdullah Haruna Kiyawa reposted images that he posted in 2011 to depict looting of properties in Kano.

“The @officialABAT regime already planned how to blackball Nigerians into submission even before this non-violent social change action(s) started; this was posted by the Kano State @PoliceNG PPRO on Facebook today.  He was caught pants down because the same office had posted the same photos in 2011 on @facebook. The reason you must understand their game plan and stay focused,” he posted.

TheGuardian yesterday reported that the nationwide hardship protest in Kano has turned into violence, with hoodlums taking advantage of the situation to loot shops and offices.

“The demonstration against economic difficulties has quickly turned into chaos as mobs can be seen attacking businesses across the city,” TheGuardian reported.

It was due to this that the Kano State Government declared a 24-hour curfew in the state.

FactCheckAfrica checked through the post made by Kiyawa about the looting in Kano and discovered that there are different opinions in the comments section about the credibility of the images posted, this is why we found it necessary to investigate further.

Verification

FactCheckAfrica closely examined the images posted by the Omoyele Sowore and we discovered that the image allegedly to have emanated from the PPRO’s Facebook post in 2011 was doctored.

Firstly, FactCheckAfrica discovered that the image did not have any caption to explain the ordeal that happened in 2011 which is quite unsual.

Secondly, we searched through the PPRO’S Facebook page and found nothing close to the images in 2011 as purportedly claimed by Sowore.

According to Daily Trust, DSP Haruna was enlisted into the Nigeria Police Force as Cadet ASP on 9th July, 2012 at the Nigeria Police Academy Wudil, Kano and after completing training, he was posted to Kano State Police Command on 24th January, 2014.

We further discovered that Haruna became the Command’s Spokesperson on January 23, 2019.

Conclusion

The claim that the Kano Police PRO reshared the Old image is False! FactCheckAfrica can confirm that the image is doctored.