Nigeria: False Claims Continue to Circulate That Former Nigerian President Buhari's House Was Set On Fire During August 2024 Protests

22 October 2024
Africa Check (Johannesburg)
By Denzel Amobi

False claims continue to circulate that former Nigerian president Buhari's house was set on fire during August 2024 protests

IN SHORT: When the #EndBadGovernance demonstrations hit Nigeria in August 2024, some protesters went to former president Muhammadu Buhari's house in Katsina state. But they did not burn it down, as continues to be claimed online.

"Buhari house is set ablaze by the northerners.Na him be the bone of contention now?" reads part of a 2 August 2024 post on Facebook and which is still making the rounds.

The post includes a video of a large crowd gathered near a house. There is also a fire with thick black smoke billowing from it.

The video is overlaid with the text: "Buhari's house in Daura set on fire."

In the background, a man can be heard speaking in Hausa, a language widely spoken in northern Nigeria.

According to Google Translate, he says: "Demonstrators are gathering in front of our excellency Buhari's residence. The locals of Daura have barricaded the major road leading to Mai-adua-Kwangwalam and Daura and the T-junction leading to Buhari's residence. We are praying for peace so the riot will not get out of control."

Muhammadu Buhari is a Nigerian politician and retired military general. He served as Nigeria's military ruler from 1983 to 1985 and as the country's democratically elected president from 2015 to 2023.

Some Nigerians believe that Buhari is partly responsible for the country's poor economy.

Nigerians took to the streets from 1 to 10 August 2024 to protest against economic hardship. The demonstrations were tagged #EndBadGovernance on social media.

Similar posts can be found here, here and here.

But was Buhari's house set on fire during the August protests? We checked.

No truth to the claim

Africa Check searched online for the claim, which led us to several reports from reputable Nigerian news organisations, such as Daily Trust and Channels TV.

Both media outlets reported that protesters were outside Buhari's house in Daura, Katsina state on 1 August. However, the reports did not mention that Buhari's house had been set alight.

Daily Trust said the mob had lit a bonfire in front of the house and had attempted to break in, but an unidentified person came out to address them.

According to Channels TV, the protesters eventually submitted a grievance letter to one of Buhari's aides.

The same video was posted on the social media platform X on 1 August, with no overlaid text. Its caption reads: "The protesters are protesting near the residence of former President Muhammadu Buhari in Daura, Katsina State."

We found nothing to support the claim that the former president's house was torched during the protests.

Read the original story, with links and other resources.
Africa Check is a non-partisan organisation which promotes accuracy in public debate and in the media. Twitter @AfricaCheck and www.africacheck.org

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