FACT-CHECK: Did Wike Support Attack on Palestine During a Meeting With Israel Ambassador? 

FACT-CHECK: Did Wike Support Attack on Palestine During a Meeting With Israel Ambassador? 

CLAIM: Amidst the ongoing war between Palestine and Israel, a 6-minute and 16-second Hausa audio emerged on WhatsApp claiming that Nigeria’s FCT Minister Nyesom Wike voiced supports military attacks on Palestine during a meeting with the Israel Ambassador in Abuja.

The audio with a post captioned “Wike Supports Attacks on Palestine” has been forwarded many times to numerous WhatsApp groups and Hausa speakers 

FULL-TEXT: The Hausa audio containing the claim was translated into English by the PRNigeria translation desk.

The translated audio reads, “Assalamualaikum… My Nigerian and world  Muslim brothers. I did this voice note to express my sadness over the conduct of the Minister of Abuja. We are a country of different religions and the constitution has recognized that. But he invited the ambassador of Israel to his office which was decorated with Nigerian and Israeli flags, where he condemned the Palestinian attacks on Israel on AIT TV Channel.

“As Muslims, that is derogatory to our religion because his job is to fix Abuja…the Minister of Foreign Affairs is responsible for such condemnation, but he didn’t do that due to the religious diversity of the country and our togetherness. But to show his hatred for Muslims as he did when he was governor of Rivers when he said that his state is Christian, not a Muslim state, he is now in Abuja—a Muslim-dominated region in the North—to show Muslims that he is not with them. That is what he implies.

”Hosting the ambassador of Israel to condemn the attack on his country is derogatory to Muslims. Therefore, I call on the Muslim faithful to pray earnestly to Allah to protect the North and the country from the calamity Wike wants to bring to Nigeria because we don’t know the magnitude of the damage it could cause if it metamorphoses into something terrible. 

“Therefore, I urge Muslims and patriotic Christians, especially clerics and traditional leaders to warn Wike and tell the public that he didn’t speak for Nigeria but for himself, considering his hatred for Islam…my name is Bashir Sheikh Jaafar Katsina.”

VERIFICATION: PRNigeria meticulously reviewed the entire conversation between Nyesom Wike and Israel’s ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, but no mention of the ongoing conflict between the two countries was found, nor was there any condemnation of either side.

Their discussion was consistently focused on the importance of collaboration between Nigeria and Israel. Ambassador Freeman expressed his willingness to work with Nigeria to generate employment opportunities for its unemployed population, transform Abuja into a technology hub, and engage in agricultural partnerships.

In response, Wike conveyed Nigeria’s commitment to partnering with Israel in the field of Information Technology with a plan to establish a technology village in Abuja. 

He also highlighted the favourable climate in Abuja, suggesting a collaborative effort to create a large technology-driven farm that could employ many youths.

Furthermore, Wike sought Israel’s assistance in enhancing Nigeria’s technological security measures to strengthen national security.

Notably, PRNigeria noted that the Minister and the ambassador did not address the ongoing unrest in Israel and Palestine during their conversation.

CONCLUSION: Based on PRNigeria‘s meticulous review of the conversation between the former Governor of Rivers and current FCT Minister, Wike and the Israeli ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Freeman, there was no mention of Palestine’s attack on Israel or vise versa let alone condemning it. 

Therefore, PRNigeria, concludes that the claim that the FCT Minister voiced his support for Israel against the Palestine out of hatred for Islam ane Muslims is False and Inciting.

By PRNigeria