Were Photos used on Facebook by the Hausa Service of BBC, depicting youths protesting in support of the EndSARS protest in Kano, real?

Were Photos used on Facebook by the Hausa Service of BBC, depicting youths protesting in support of the EndSARS protest in Kano, real?

CLAIM

The BBC Hausa service posted a photo of rampaging youths on the street and dubbed it “Zangar EndSARS a Kano (EndSARS Protest in Kano),” depicting that the protest is gathering momentum in the ancient city.

FACT:

The architecture, landmarks and mode of dressing of the protesters clearly indicated that the photos were not from Kano.

This was also confirmed by residents of the city who made the clarification under the comment section of the post.

Further checks by PRNigeria with indigenes and residents of the city confirmed the above analysis.

PRNigeria reports that on 14th October, hundreds of youths in Kano state staged a peaceful protest in support of the newly established Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit to replace the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

They were protesting to support the reformation of the unit as against its disbandment as announced by the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu.

The youths, under the umbrella of Coalition of Kano State Youths matched from the state’s Ministry for Information in Audu Bako Secretariat to the state’s Government House carrying big banners with inscriptions that call on the President and the IGP to reconsider the scrapping of the unit.

The protest according to the leader of the youths, Sunusi Kani, was to send message to the Federal Government that the police unit needed reformation rather than ending it.

Photos of two other protests which turned violent at the Sabon Gari and Kabuga Areas of the State were nothing similar to the one shared by the BBC.