On Saturday, a video showing protesters at the Emir of Ilorin’s palace in Kwara state began making the rounds on social media.
In the video, the protesters, who appeared to be mostly youths, could be heard chanting in Yoruba “Ebin palu (the city is hungry)”.
The video quickly went viral on social media, with many insinuating the protest occurred on Saturday and was prompted by the current economic situation of the country.
Nigeria has been experiencing security challenges, currency devaluation and a rise in the prices of commodities.
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This has prompted some protests in some parts of the country.
On February 5, some residents in Minna, Niger state capital, blocked major roads in the Kpakungu area to protest the economic hardship in the country.
Days later, residents in Suleja LGA of the state also took to the street to protest against the high cost of living.
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Similarly, on February 10, some market women in Lagos staged a protest against the rising cost of living in the country.
The women carried placards with inscriptions such as “Baba Tinubu, Nigerians are hungry”, and “Tinubu, come and rescue us”, among others.
IS THE PROTEST RECENT?
TheCable confirmed after close inspection of the video and comparisons to actual images of the palace that the location shown in the video is the Emir of Ilorin’s abode.
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But TheCable also found out, after numerous searches on social media, that only a single video of the supposedly recent protest was being shared and circulated online, leading to suspicion that it could be misleading.
One user with the name @omoelerinjare, on X, wrote “Breaking News: Serious protest at the Emir’s Palace in Ilorin Kwara State! ‘We are Hungry, The state is Hungry’”.
The post garnered over 360,000 views and more that 2,000 shares on the social media platform.
Breaking News: Serious protest at the Emir’s Palace in Ilorin Kwara State!
Advertisement” We are Hungry, The state is Hungry” pic.twitter.com/7lnoy0Fa7U
— ÓMÒÉLÉRÍNJÁRÉ (@omoelerinjare) February 17, 2024
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Breaking News!
Serious protest at Emir's Palace in Ilorin, Kwara State!
Advertisement'We are Hungry, the state is hungry, pic.twitter.com/dO1uR4hYH7
— Citizen Observer (@CitizenObs) February 17, 2024
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Today there was reported protest at the Emir of Ilorin's palace in Kwara. With protest shouting we are hungry oooooo.President Bola Tinubu's refusal to open the borders to allow for food and other materials to enter the country might soon backfire.Hunger no get patience. Act now!
— Cyril Onyekachi (@ogbucyril) February 18, 2024
There was serious protest at the Emir's Palace(Ibrahim Gambari) in Ilorin Kwara State.
And the people were shouting we are Hungry (Ebi Pa Wa o), The state is Hungry. pic.twitter.com/TByAjDVIsN
— Labour Party Lagos Media (@LPLagosMedia) February 18, 2024
Another X user @_weyimi wrote: “So it begins!!! At the emir of Illorin Palace | we hear them say “We are hungry”. A nation falling into the abyss.”
But following further checks online, TheCable found that the same video was shared online by several social media users in 2021.
Also, in a statement on Sunday, Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, Emir of Ilorin, faulted claims that the video was recent and in connection to the current economic situation.
“Our attention has been drawn to a video in circulation on social media platforms where some people are shouting and lamenting over poverty and hardship in front of the Emir’s Palace in Ilorin,” the statement reads.
“We want to state categorically that the said video was part of the events that characterised and witnessed during the build-up to the 2019 general elections.
“The video does not have any connection with the current situation in the country, and it would be recalled that in occasions of such, the Emir of Ilorin and Chairman, Kwara Traditional Rulers Council, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, always express his concern on the need to ensure that peace and harmony continue to prevail in the society.”
VERDICT
The video of a protest said to have happened at the Emir of Ilorin’s palace on Saturday is not recent.
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