Nigeria: No, Nigerian Governor Alex Otti Did Not Order Fulani and Hausa Communities to Leave Aba City Ahead of Christmas

8 January 2026
Africa Check (Johannesburg)
By Muktar Balogun

No, Nigerian governor Alex Otti did not order Fulani and Hausa communities to leave Aba city ahead of Christmas

We found no evidence that Alex Otti, the governor of Abia state, had ordered the Fulani and Hausa communities to leave the city of Aba temporarily ahead of the 2025 Christmas celebrations. No credible media outlets reported such an order, and the link in the social media posts led to no official announcement.

"Breaking News: Governor Alex Otti Orders Temporary Exit of Fulani and Hausa Residents From Aba Ahead of Christmas," began a 17 December 2025 post on Facebook.

The post continued:

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Abia state governor, Alex Otti, has ordered all Fulani and Hausa residents to leave Aba immediately ahead of the Igbos' Christmas Day celebration on December 25, citing fears that attacks on innocent Igbos might come from some individuals among them during the festivities. The governor stated that they are free to return at any time after Christmas Day, once the December 25 celebrations are over.

It also asked users to click on the attached link for "full details".

Alex Otti is a Nigerian politician and the governor of Abia state in the country's southeast region. Aba is an industrial city in Abia.

The Hausa and Fulani are some of Nigeria's largest ethnic groups. Both communities are indigenous to the northern region and are predominantly Muslim.

In Nigeria, Christmas is mainly celebrated in the southern regions, with traditions that include church programmes, festive meals, travel to hometowns and community events.

The same claim was found here, here, here and here.

But was there any truth to it? We checked.

No evidence to support claim

Africa Check found no credible news reports of Otti ordering Fulani and Hausa communities to leave Aba ahead of Christmas.

If the claim were genuine, it would have been reported by the media, as such an action would be discriminatory against the two groups.

The link attached to the post led to no actual report about the alleged order, suggesting the claim was fabricated.

Otti is active on social media and often posts his statements. We searched his X and Facebook accounts for anything to support the claim, but came up empty.

We found no evidence to support the claim that Otti had ordered the Fulani and Hausa communities to leave Aba ahead of the 2025 Christmas celebrations.

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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