Did Tinubu 'Dance on The Graves' of Anambra, Abuja Stampede Victims? Fact Emerges

Did Tinubu 'Dance on The Graves' of Anambra, Abuja Stampede Victims? Fact Emerges

  • At least 32 people, including children, were killed in two incidents in Nigeria as large crowds gathered to collect food and clothing distributed at annual Christmas events
  • The stampedes caused sorrow and concern as public officials issued messages of condolence
  • Amid the tragedy, a well-followed social media user insinuated that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu showed insensitivity to the feelings of the bereaved families; however, Legit.ng's fact-check uncovered an attempt to mislead the public

Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 4 years of experience in fact-checking.

Ikeja, Lagos state - An X (formerly Twitter) user with a considerable amount of social media following, claimed that President Bola Tinubu is "a critical failure in governance".

The verified X user, @PO_GrassRootM, alleged that President Tinubu 'danced and celebrated' in Lagos state "while Nigerians are dying struggling for a half bag of rice" - an apparent reference to the recent stampedes in Oyo and Anambra states, as well as Abuja.

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Not true that Tinubu danced on the grave of Anambra and Abuja stampede victims.
Old video used to maliciously portray Tinubu as insensitive amid fatal stampedes in Nigeria. Photo credit: Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu
Source: Facebook

The person who made the claim is a staunch supporter of Peter Obi, the presidential flagbearer of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election.

The 22-second clip portraying Tinubu in a bad light which was published on Saturday, December 21, has garnered over 32, 600 views, 50+ replies, more than 160 reposts, and over 360 likes.

Its caption reads:

"Bola Tinubu a critical failure in governance dancing and celebrating in Lagos State while Nigerians are dying struggling for a half bag of rice."

Given the virality of the claim, Legit.ng fact-checked it.

Video of Tinubu from January 2023

Legit.ng's investigation showed the video posted by @PO_GrassRootM was from the January 2023 presidential campaign event held by the All Progressives Congress (APC) youth directorate and not of Tinubu on Saturday, December 21, 2024.

Watch the video below as posted on January 6, 2023, by TVC News:

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Tinubu cancels Lagos appearances following fatal stampedes

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that President Tinubu announced the suspension of all official outings in Lagos, including the 2024 Lagos Boat Regatta.

Tinubu's action was to honour the victims of stampedes in Abuja and Anambra state.

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Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Ridwan Adeola avatar

Ridwan Adeola (Current Affairs Editor) Ridwan Adeola Yusuf is a content creator with more than nine years of experience, He is also a Current Affairs Editor at Legit.ng. He holds a Higher National Diploma in Mass Communication from the Polytechnic Ibadan, Oyo State (2014). Ridwan previously worked at Africa Check, contributing to fact-checking research works within the organisation. He is an active member of the Academic Excellence Initiative (AEI). In March 2024, Ridwan completed the full Google News Initiative Lab workshop and his effort was recognised with a Certificate of Completion. Email: ridwan.adeola@corp.legit.ng.