Did Donald Trump Call for IPOB Leader Nnamdi Kanu’s Release? Fact Emerges
- A post on the social networking platform Facebook claimed that one of the world's most powerful politicians, Donald Trump, asked the Nigerian government to immediately release Nnamdi Kanu
- In June 2021, Kanu, a Biafra separatist leader, was arrested by Interpol in Kenya and handed over to Nigeria
- Following the claim of Trump's alleged comment on Kanu, a fact-checking platform, Cable Check, investigated the viral post and shared its verdict
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Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 4 years of experience in fact-checking and global affairs.
Washington, USA - A well-followed Facebook page, Republicans for United States of Biafra, posted a video where it stated that the President of the United States (US), Donald Trump, purportedly called for the release of Nnamdi Kanu.
The page with over 2,700 followers posted the video on Wednesday, February 19.
Source: Twitter
The one-minute video has garnered 23,000 views, more than 200 reactions, and 40 comments.
In the clip, an individual looking like Trump could be heard saying he would free Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), from the custody of the Nigerian government.
The caption reads:
"Nigeria must disintegrate, the great one has spoken."
Kanu, who is facing serious charges at a Nigerian court in Abuja, has been in detention since he was rearrested in June 2021 and repatriated to Nigeria from Kenya under controversial circumstances.
Though he grew up in Nigeria's south-east, Kanu moved to the United Kingdom (UK) before graduating.
Soon after setting up IPOB in 2014, he spoke to gatherings of the large Igbo diaspora, calling for Biafran independence. In some of his comments, he urged Biafrans to take up arms against the Nigerian state.
Although successive All Progressives Congress (APC) administrations have accused Kanu of incitement through his IPOB group, his supporters have said all they clamour for is freedom.
Source: Getty Images
The post which claimed Trump made remarks about Kanu stated that the new American leader also purportedly said his administration would make sure “Biafra people” are allowed to conduct a referendum.
But is true that President Trump asked the Bola Tinubu government to release Kanu? A fact-checking platform, CableCheck, probed the post.
Verification of the alleged claim by Trump
The platform said a close observation of the video shows that the image of Trump was digitally manipulated to appear that the US president was delivering the speech.
The mouth region was blurry, and it appeared that the image had been superimposed on another image to depict Trump speaking.
CableCheck discovered that the video was created using a website that allows users to create AI videos using the images of some popular celebrities.
It, therefore, ruled that the video showing Trump calling for the release of Kanu is AI-generated.
Read more on Nnamdi Kanu:
- 'Why Justice Nyako refused to leave my case despite recusal', Nnamdi Kanu breaks silence
- Nnamdi Kanu challenges judge as court takes major action on ‘terrorism’ case
Fact-check on Biafra forces' alleged killing
Earlier, Legit.ng checked if there was evidence for the viral claim on the alleged soldiers' killing by Biafra forces in Abia state.
A Google reverse image search was done as well as a check on the official website of the Nigerian army to determine if this was true. It showed no evidence of the claim.
A check on the official website of the Nigerian army and the organisation's social media accounts showed no evidence of the claim.
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Source: Legit.ng
