Fact check: Were School Children Turned to Yams and the Suspect Set Ablaze?

Fact check: Were School Children Turned to Yams and the Suspect Set Ablaze?

Claims:  A viral video on social media platforms claimed that a man allegedly turned two school children into two tubers of yams and was later set ablaze by the mob.

Full Text: According to the report, a middle aged man allegedly ‘turned two school children into two tubers of yams’. It claimed that the man dropped a certain amount of money on the ground and as soon as the children picked up the money, they became tubers of yams.

According to the conversation in the video the man was being asked ( in Yoruba language) who turned the children into Tubers of yam and the whereabouts of the school children as well as if he was the one that dropped the charmed money on the ground. 

The man responded in Yoruba” the yam cannot turn to human, this was the way I carried it from Alhaja…..”

Verification: Inorder to unearth the accuracy of this viral video, PRNigeria fact check team used its fact check tools, including image reverse search. The results led us to the following observations:

The children were not seen being turned into Tubers of yam on the spot based on the video.

The accusation was based on random questions as seen from the video.

The accused was not seen giving the two children any money in the video.

The man was not set ablaze as seen from the beginning of the video to the end.

Further search using the key words revealed that a lot of online media platforms, including some major newspapers, have reported on the same incident as seen on a blog and a National Daily. 

Another source also revealed that the man whose name is Tope Aluko was mentally challenged and was allegedly set ablaze and died in the process.   

Fact Checkers’ search also led to another YouTube video that showed that the man was at one point arrested by the Oyo State Police Command and later released on ground of lack of evidence.

The Oyo State Government equally debunked these as rumors, adding that the suspect was a victim of circumstances and urged the public to disregard the report.

More findings reveal that the incident took place in Bashuru area of Ibadan, Oyo State in 2021 and resurfaced recently which aroused curiosity among the general public who are eager to know the authenticity of this video.

Checks by PRNigeria Fact Checkers reveal that it is not scientifically possible to turn humans into tubers of yam or any other plant. 

Such a transformation would violate the fundamental principles of biology and genetics. 

Humans are animals, while yams are plants, and their biological structures and processes are vastly different. 

Transforming one into the other is beyond the scope of current scientific understanding and capabilities.

Notwithstanding, some cultures and traditions believe in the concept of spiritual and metamorphic transformation which lack scientific basis. 

Conclusion: Findings by PRNigeria Fact Checkers reveal that there was no record of two children missing from the alleged Bashorun Ojo High School that were allegedly turned into tubers of yam. The Nigerian Police has arrested and eventually released the suspect due to lack of evidence. Similarly, the suspect, Tope Aluko was not set ablaze as widely reported. Finally, it is scientifically impossible to turn humans into tubers of yam or any other plant. 

PRNigeria therefore concludes that the claim that a man turned two school children into two tubers of yams and was later set ablaze by the mob is lacking in evidence and False.

For recent and more PRNigeria Fact Checks, visit or click: PRNigeria.com/category/fact-check/

By PRNigeria