Factcheck: Were the Suspect Images Shared by Kano Police, on Protest Taken in 2011?

Factcheck: Were the Suspect Images Shared by Kano Police, on Protest Taken in 2011?

A recent post by the Kano State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, showcasing individuals arrested for violent demonstrations and looting during protests against bad governance in Nigeria, has sparked controversy. Some commenters have alleged that the photos shared were actually taken in 2011, casting doubt on the authenticity of the post.

However, PRNigeria‘s fact-checking team investigated the claim by conducting a visual analysis of the photos and made three key observations:

Firstly, the fact-checking team observed that the police officers in the photos were wearing camouflage uniforms, which were not introduced by the Nigeria Police Force until March 2012. Furthermore, the camouflage uniforms were initially worn only as a trial by the then Acting Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Dahiru Abubakar, suggesting that the photos could not have been taken in 2011 as claimed.

Secondly, it was also noted that the looted goods included packs of Supreme Noodles, which is significant because Supreme Noodles only entered the Nigerian market in late 2017. This suggests that the images must have been taken in 2017 or later, contradicting the claim that they were from 2011.

Thirdly, a significant discovery was made in the fourth image, where looted goods were seen stored in a traffic police stand bearing the logo of Korbit Table Water. Upon contacting the company, it was verified that Korbit Table Water was founded in 2018, making it impossible for the images to be from 2011 as claimed.

Additionally, the same image features the inscription ‘Tinubu Camp Kano’, which suggests that the photo was taken in the year 2022 or after. This is because Bola Tinubu did not declare his presidential candidacy until 2022, making it impossible that the image could have been taken in 2011 as claimed.

Lastly,  the PRO’s Facebook profile was investigated, which was established in 2011, but found no posts/photos from that year. 

Moreover, in the posted photos, the profile showed a significant difference in the number of uploaded images – only six photos were posted, whereas the shared screenshot displayed approximately 50 images. This inconsistency adds to the evidence against the claim’s validity.

PRNigeria fact check therefore contacted the Police Public Relations Officer, Kano Police Command, SP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa who debunked the claim stating that he was not even a Police officer as of 2011. 

“I joined the police as a Cadet ASP in 2012 and only became a PPRO in February 2019 so there’s no way I could have made an official statement on behalf of the police in 2011 when i was just a civilian,” he told PRNigeria.

Confirming that the photos were recent, SP Kiyawa shared with the PRNigeria photos of him in his camouflage uniform with some of the apprehended criminals. 

He also shared corresponding photos and an official press release dated today August 1st, 2024 which announced that the Kano State Police Command has apprehended 269 criminals engaged in destruction, violence, and looting of both public and private infrastructure under the guise of the ongoing nationwide protest. 

“In a swift and efficient response to these criminal activities, a total of two hundred and sixty-nine (269) suspects responsible for destructions, looting, and instigating chaos under the guise of the nationwide protest were arrested with recovery from them many Jerricans of 25 Litres of Groundnut Oil, a large quantity of Stationeries,  Foodstuffs, and other valuable properties. The suspects are currently cooling their feet at the Command’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and thereafter will be charged in court upon completion of the investigation. More arrests and recoveries are in progress,” the statement reads in part. 

PRNigeria confirmed the corresponding photos and subjected each to an exif metadata analysis which confirmed that the photos were indeed taken on 1st August 2024 and shared on the same date with an official press release. 

Therefore, based on the evidence presented, the findings unequivocally disprove the claim, revealing a clear discrepancy between the alleged timeline and the actual events. It is conclusively established that the claim attributing the images shared by the Kano Police Command PRO to 2011 is entirely FALSE and MISLEADING.