Ignore false claim that prominent Nigerian judge James Omotosho targeted in assassination attempt
James Omotosho is a respected Nigerian judge of the federal high court in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria. He is known for handling politically sensitive cases, including that of Nnamdi Kanu.
Kanu is the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, a group agitating for an independent Biafra state.
On 20 November 2020, Omotosho sentenced Kanu to life imprisonment on seven terrorism-related charges.
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In this context, several posts on Facebook claimed that Omotosho escaped an assassination attempt, just days after sentencing Kanu.
Part of one post reads:
BREAKING NEWS: Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court in Abuja narrowly escaped an assassination attempt this morning, just days after he sentenced Nnamdi Kanu to life imprisonment. His car was hit by bullets, and he was rushed to a hospital while security forces sealed off the area.
The same claim appears here, here and here. (Note: See more instances at the end of this report.)
But was there really an attempt on Omotosho's life? We checked.
Court dismisses reports of assassination attempt
Kanu's case received wide media coverage. If the judge who sentenced him had survived an assassination attempt, it would've made headlines. But we found no such news reports.
Local media reported that Sulaiman Hassan, chief registrar of the federal high court, dismissed the alleged assassination attempt as false.
Hassan said that the claim was baseless and urged the public to disregard and avoid sharing it to prevent the spread of misinformation.
Given the seriousness of the allegation, which he warned could cause public panic, undermine confidence in the judiciary or even amount to an act of intimidation, the court has called on relevant security and regulatory agencies to carry out a thorough investigation.
