AN X user, @Sarkideyforyou, has posted images showing the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye in front of Kaabah, a religious place of worship for Muslims in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
He posted the images with a caption thus:
“Pastor adebayo may Allah guide you to the right path.”
The post has garnered over 3.8 million views, with more than 1,500 reposts, over 1,800 comments and more than 4,000 likes as of December 22, 2024.
Popularly called Pastor Adeboye, the Christian cleric oversees the RCCG church which has a presence in many countries with thousands of parishes and millions of parishioners worldwide.
CLAIM
Image shows Pastor Adeboye in Saudi Arabia.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MISLEADING as the images are deepfakes, and very likely generated using Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The FactCheckHub used multiple AI detection tools to verify the two images and the results shows high likelihood that they were generated using artificial intelligence (AI) tools.
For instance, The FactCheckHub checked the images using hive moderation, an advanced AI detection tools, the result shows 99.7 per cent and 99 per cent probabilities of being AI-generated or deep fake content.
We also checked the images using TrueMedia.org, another AI content detection tool, the result also shows that the images are digitally manipulated and showed 99% confidence of them being generated by AI.
In addition, our fact-checker reviewed Adeboye’s social media accounts and media reports but couldn’t find the images or any report indicating that the pastor went to Saudi Arabia.
THE VERDICT
The claim that the images show Pastor Adeboye in front of Kaabah in Saudi Arabbia is MISLEADING; findings show that the images are very likely AI-generated.
Republished from the Factcheckhub.
Nurudeen Akewushola is an investigative reporter and fact-checker with The ICIR. He believes courageous in-depth investigative reporting is the key to social justice, accountability and good governance in society. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 on Twitter.
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