Fact Check: Is Viral Video of ‘Lifeless’ Schoolboy in Scavenger’s Cart Authentic?
Claim: A disturbing video has gone viral, showing a man confronting a suspected scavenger who is collecting discarded items with his cart. Among the items in the cart is a boy in a school uniform, seemingly lifeless and covered by trash and scraps.
In the video, the man questions the scavenger about how the schoolboy ended up in the cart. The scavenger allegedly confesses that an individual, referred to as “Alhaji,” hired him to transport the boy. He claims he is paid N100,000 each time he helps this person transport a human suspected to be intended for a ritual sacrifice.
The video includes text with a stern warning, urging viewers to be cautious and to start driving scavengers out of society due to the danger they pose.
Scavenging is common in Nigeria, particularly in major cities, and some scavengers are criticised for engaging in unlawful activities, such as stealing scrap metal and other items from neighborhoods.
“Good afternoon, house. Let’s continue to send them away from our streets. They are dangerous,” the text reads.
Verification: PRNigeria conducted an investigation to determine whether the claims in the video are true. Upon reviewing the footage, it appeared that the video had all the hallmarks of content creation, as the man confronting the alleged scavenger was the sole focus of the scene.
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Despite voices being heard in the background, there was no attempt to call for help, an unlikely scenario in Nigeria, where an individual caught with a suspected lifeless body, especially one believed to be intended for ritual purposes, would likely face immediate public retribution before security forces arrive.
Further analysis by PRNigeria fact-check revealed that the video seemed dramatised, especially considering the sequence where the man questioned the scavenger about the cart’s contents.
Additionally, the stick the man appeared to use to threaten the scavenger was wielded in a soft, staged manner, reinforcing the scripted nature of the scene.
Additionally, the video contains a watermark, “@EYOPCITY TV,” indicating the content creator or channel responsible for the video. The text overlay and notification also suggest that the video was recorded or streamed using a phone.
PRNigeria then searched for the “@EYOPCITY TV” watermark on Facebook and YouTube, discovering that it is a content creator page with several prank-related videos. On Facebook, the page has 21,000 followers, while its YouTube channel has 1.62k subscribers.
Conclusion: The viral video claiming to show a lifeless schoolboy in a scavenger cart is a staged, comedic content piece and is not real.
PRNigeria, therefore, concludes that the claim accompanying the video is misleading.
By PRNigeria
