Neusroom Fact-Check: Crying Woman Video Unrelated To Delta Military Killing
A circulating video of a wailing woman behind burning shops is making rounds on social media and is being linked to the alleged rampage in Delta State by members of the Nigerian military that took place on Saturday, March 16, 2024.
Okuama, a community in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State, was raided by members of the Nigerian military, who set residential buildings ablaze in a reprisal attack following the killing of 16 army officers, including a commanding officer, two majors, one captain, and 12 soldiers on March 14, 2024.
The troops attached to the 181 Amphibious Battalion, Bomadi Local Government of the state, were attacked and killed when they responded to a distress call after a communal crisis between the Okuama and Okoloba communities in the State.
Circulating videos from the rampage, including burning buildings and armed military men, have been making rounds on social media. However, Neusroom’s team of fact-checkers debunks the video of a woman crying as she films herself in front of burning shops.
Using various fact-checking tools, including Invid We Verify and Google Reverse Image, among others, Neusroom independently verified that the video, first posted online five days ago on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, was not related to the crisis in Delta but to the burning of a market in Wuse, Abuja.
Wuse Market, a popular market in Abuja, the nation’s capital, was gutted by fire on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, after angry mobs reportedly protested the shooting of a man convicted by a mobile court sitting in the market premises.
Also, a closer look at the video shows that the woman in the video, whose name could not be determined by Neusroom, mentioned that the burning building was in Wuse.
“Please, pray that this fire will not reach my shop. Wuse market is burning,” she cried.
