FACT CHECK: Did US indict Atiku as brain behind killings in Nigeria?

In May 2019, a few months after the presidential election, a news item began to circulate on social media media platforms claiming that the United States  had indicted Atiku Abubakar, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as the brain behind killings in the country.

Atiku, a former vice-president, had lost the election to President Muhammadu Buhari, who secured a second tenure in office.

The report, published majorly on blogs and widely shared on social media, claimed a US agency, Centre for Diplomacy and Democracy, based in Washington DC, made a “shocking revelation” that Atiku had threatened to destabilise the country ahead of Buhari’s inauguration.

The publication added that the US report was signed by one Catherine Kerigun on behalf of the group, claiming that Atiku’s plan was to make Buhari appear incapable of handling the security challenges in the country and instigate a revolt against the president.

Parts of the publication read: “The bulk of the threats were made by the opposition party candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and groups sympathetic to him, who carried on as he had already won the elections before the commencement of the polls.

TWO YEARS AFTER, THE CLAIM RESURFACES AMID GROWING INSECURITY 

With the rising state of killings and violence across the country, the old report has resurfaced on social media platforms.

The latest were posts made by some individuals on Facebook and Twitter claiming the “US report” is still valid.

On May 9, Daramola Ife, a Facebook user, posted a caption of the report on his timeline. The poster has different pictures of Buhari as his profile pictures, which suggests he could be a supporter of the president.

“US report indicts Atiku as brain behind recent killings in Nigeria. I can’t say if true, God knows, if it’s, may he NEVER know peace,” he wrote.

Comments on the post show his friends chorusing “Amen”. One of the commenters, Esupofo Aduni, said: “He already said blood will flow when he lost the election. Let him and his family be drinking blood. The lord will continue to expose those people that are planning war in Nigeria. They will not have peace. There is no hiding place for them.”

The same day, another Facebook user, Abatam Nwosu, shared the “US report” on his timeline with the caption, “2019 report, still very relevant today!”

On May 9, Alaramma, a blog with over 1,500 followers, republished the report with headline: “US REPORT ALLEGEDLY INDICTS ATIKU & PDP AS BRAINS BEHIND RECENT KILLINGS IN NIGERIA.”

US REPORT ALLEGEDLY INDICTS @atiku and @OfficialPDPNig
AS BRAINS BEHIND RECENT KILLINGS IN NIGERIA.https://t.co/lnflvSYVg3 pic.twitter.com/YbbuaYbP6V

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— Alaramma 100% (@OgaHamman) May 9, 2021

‘CENTRE FOR DIPLOMACY AND DEMOCRACY’ DOESN’T EXIST

In trying to verify the report attributed to the “Centre for Diplomacy and Democracy, Washington DC, USA”, TheCable used key search engines to locate the agency and analyse its reports.

The results showed that the “US agency” does not exist. The agency and report were not mentioned in US government websites or news articles from US-based media.

Also, no credible newspaper in Nigeria published the report. It was only circulated on blogs in the country.

The name of “Catherine Kerigun”, who allegedly signed the report, was not available on social media networks.

VERDICT: In the absence of any evidence, either weak or strong, showing that the US linked Atiku to killings in Nigeria, the reports are dubious and can only be classified as false.