Nigerian Olympic Gold Medalist Wilson Oruma Mentally Ill? Fact Emerges

• Nigeria for Super Eagles star Wilson Oruma is not mentally ill, as claimed in some posts on social media
• The collage shared by one Opobo Hype Man on Facebook and Samuel Ekpa on X was fact-checked and discovered to be misleading
• Also, there were inconsistencies on the dates Samuel Ekpa and Opobo Hype Man claimed that the incident happened

Legit.ng journalist Bada Yusuf is an accomplished politics and current affairs editor, boasting over seven years of experience in journalism and writing.

On May 4, 2024, a Facebook user, Opobo Hype Man, shared a collage of former Nigerian internationals and 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist Wilson Oruma with an unkept person, describing him as a before and after image of the former Super Eagles star.

However, the image has been fact-checked by a fact-checking media outlet, Dubawa and confirmed to be misleading.

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Samuel Ekpa shared fake picture of Oruma

The Facebook user shared the image with the caption:

“This is a former Nigerian football player, Wilson Oruma. Fear dark-hearted and jealous people who only want everything good on this earth to be their own. May they always destroy themselves as they are trying to destroy other people’s destinies.”

The post has generated thousands of comments and shares. Some Nigerians appeared to believe the claim, while others disagreed.

On January 2024, Samuel Ekpa (@simon_ekpa), a self-acclaimed leader of the proscribed Independent Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), shared the collage on X and alleged that Nigeria is evil.

Fact-checked report on Oruma mentally ill

However, the claim that Oruma was playing for Nigeria in a Super Eagles jersey was false, as the former international retired from professional football in 2010.

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A check of the image on Google Reverse Image Search indicated that it was posted on Getty Images on January 23, 2006. The image was taken by Adam Davy, PA Images, at the 2006 African Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Also, conducting a Google Reverse Image Search on the unkempt person revealed no trace of the image online. An analysis of the post between Samuel Ekpa and Opobo Hypeman revealed inconsistency. The former is 2023, while the latter indicates 2024.

Claims Kanu becomes homeless is misleading

Legit.ng earlier reported that the claim that former Super Eagles star Nwankwo Kanu has become homeless, as seen in a viral video, is false.

The origin of the video was traced to two YouTube videos, while the image was traced to Alamy.

Kanu recently shared an invitation for charity matches and presently has a four-year ambassadorial deal with Sportsbet.io.

Source: Legit.ng