IN SHORT: Several Facebook posts from August 2026 falsely claim a video shows young people assaulting an imam for campaigning for Nigerian president Bola Tinubu's Muslim-Muslim ticket. But the video has been online since at least December 2025, when it was shared as footage from Sudan. It therefore doesn't show the alleged 2026 incident in Sokoto.
Some Facebook posts claim a video shows young people in Bodinga, a town in Sokoto state in northwestern Nigeria, assaulting an imam for supporting president Bola Tinubu's Muslim-Muslim ticket.
The video shows a commotion and physical altercation inside what appears to be a mosque.
One post reads: "Youths in Bodinga, Sokoto State, severely beat an imam. The attack is said to stem from the imam's claimed campaigning for Tinubu from the pulpit, including statements that anyone unwilling to support a Muslim-Muslim ticket should examine their faith."
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In Nigerian politics, a "Muslim-Muslim ticket" refers to a presidential candidate and their running mate who are both Muslim. The term gained prominence ahead of the 2023 election when the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential ticket fielded Tinubu and Kashim Shettima, both Muslims.
The APC has retained the Tinubu-Shettima ticket for the 2027 election, reviving debates over religious representation in the religiously diverse country.
Similar claims can be found here and here. (Note: See other instances of the claim at the end of this report.)
But does the video show an imam being assaulted in Sokoto? We checked.
Video most likely from Sudan
A reverse image search of screenshots from the video found earlier versions online dating back to at least December 2025.
On 14 December, the video was shared on X, Instagram, and Facebook with Arabic captions claiming it showed clashes between worshippers at a mosque in Nyala, a city in southwestern Sudan.
This does not independently establish where the video was filmed. But it does show that the footage was online months before the alleged 2026 incident in Sokoto and therefore cannot depict that incident.
Media reports in August 2026 said an imam had reportedly been assaulted in Bodinga after allegedly urging worshippers to support Tinubu's Muslim-Muslim ticket ahead of the 2027 elections. But the reports did not feature the video in question.
Africa Check could not independently establish the location or date of the footage. But there is no evidence it was recorded in Bodinga or that it shows the reported assault.
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The video has been shared with a false description.
Other instances of the claim can be found here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
