THIS report examines the antics of disinformation actors on X deliberately using disinformation and information manipulation to inflame the ember of tribal hostilities and sow discord between Igbo and Yoruba in Nigeria.
Some networks of disinformation actors on X (formerly Twitter) are systematically recycling old news, twisting media reports and fabricating claims about crimes like ritual killings, theft and drug trafficking to paint rival ethnic groups as inherently criminal, an investigation by The FactCheckHub has shown.
Broadly, these disinformation actors fall into two categories: some posing as members of the Igbo ethnic group in Nigeria’s Southeast deliberately spreading falsehoods about the Yorubas in the nation’s Southwest, while others, claiming Yoruba identity, do the same against the Igbo. Thus, it has been a circle of hate spread and ethnic slurs.
Nigeria is a multi-ethnic nation with over 300 ethnic groups and more than 500 languages, making it one of the most diverse countries in Africa. Historically, ethnic identity has played a significant role in politics, economic opportunities, and social interactions, sometimes leading to divisions and rivalries.
The three largest ethnic groups, the Hausa-Fulani in the North, Yoruba predominantly in the Southwest, and the Igbo majorly in the Southeast, have distinct cultural identities but have also experienced periods of unity and conflict. Political events such as the Nigerian Civil War (1967–1970) and various inter-ethnic clashes have deepened historical grievances, which are often reignited by misinformation and disinformation both online and offline.
In July 2024, an X account with the username: @Lagospedia, which claims to promote the “virtues of Lagos” (a predominantly Yoruba state), ignited controversy for publishing inflammatory posts against the Igbos. Following public outrage, the account was deactivated. Currently, the username has been taken over by another X user. However, several other accounts continue to push similar divisive narratives, using disinformation as their primary tool, The FactCheckHub has found.
Accounts targeting the Igbo ethnic group often circulate outdated or misleading visuals, pairing them with incendiary captions that falsely implicate Igbos in criminal activities. Meanwhile, some X accounts focused on discrediting the Yoruba community deploy the same tactics to reinforce negative stereotypes.
One of the most prominent figures in this influence operation is Harry a.k.a. Harrison A who currently post on the X handle: @harreceipts. Before his previous account, @Chiditweets042, was suspended, he frequently shared misleading crime-related news in Nigeria.
His posts often featured exaggerated headlines and distorted news, specifically portraying Yorubas from the Southwest in a negative light to engage his audience.
Using condescending terms like “Yorubastards” and “Yorubanivorous”, the account consistently shares inflammatory content that portrays Yorubas as drug traffickers and ritualists, among others. Harry, along with many other ethnic disinformation merchants, repeatedly raises false alarms, exploiting Nigeria’s ethnic diversity to escalate tensions.
For crime-related news story in Nigeria, Harry posts provocative comments, stirring emotions and attempting to paint the Southwest as the epicentre of criminal activities in the country. The FactCheckHub has fact-checked many of these claims in the past before his account was eventually taken down by X.
Chains of Propaganda
In February 2022, operatives of the Ogun State Police Command arrested 43-year-old Kehinde Oladimeji and his wife, Adejumoke Raji (35 years old) for possessing fresh human parts, including breasts and hands.
The couple, who are residents of Abeokuta, were arrested by Police operatives from Kemta Divisional Headquarters after Chief Moshood Ogunwolu, the Baale of Leme community, reported them to the police.
Similarly, in March 2024, the Ondo State Police Command said it arrested an Islamic cleric, Oluwafemi Idris, over alleged possession of harvested human body parts.
In August 2024, Harry collaged two different pictures from these two unconnected events together and presented them as a single new story in an attempt to tag Southwest as the hub of ritual killings in Nigeria.
He framed the caption thus:
“Yorubanivorous Skuller Alfa Oluwafemi Idris has been arrested by the police in Ondo State. A search was conducted in his house at Akoko and human hands, three kidneys, three hearts, spine and tongue were found in his possession. The suspect claimed he is an Islamic cleric and some of the human parts were supplied by his friend, an Alhaji who is also a cleric and one Samuel Kutelu, while he supplied one Babatunde Kayode ( an Oluawo) 3 human heads. The said Oluawo and Babatunde Kayode have been arrested.”
There are two issues with this information. First, the story is not recent as of the time he posted it on X. Second, Harry presented it as an ethnic problem rather than the broader societal challenge that it is. Despite this, the post gained significant traction, amassing over 600,000 views, more than 4,000 likes, and over 2,400 reposts as of September 9, 2024, when our fact-checker archived it.
This scenario illustrates how Harry manipulates original stories to push a specific agenda, framing them as an issue peculiar to the Yoruba ethnic group rather than a broader societal issues that require government’s urgent attention. Through toxic media framing and rhetoric, he portrays the Southwest as a hub for ritual killings and labels its indigenes as “skull miners.”
He has posted hundreds of viral divisive narratives on X and built a large fanbase before his account was taken down. In one instance, he posted an image showing people gathering around a Hilux pick-up van with a claim that it shows a Nigerian man, Amos Olalere, who conspired with his mother to murder his younger sister for money rituals in Lagos.
He posted, “29-year old Yoruba man, Amos Olalere has narrated how he conspired with his mother to m¥rd£r his younger sister & had sexual intercourse with her corps£ for money rituals in Lagos….”
Even though Harry framed Yorubas as the orchestrator, a Google reverse image search shows that the image he used has been online for over one year as at then, and it depicts an incident that occurred in Ghana.
An earlier version of the photo shows that it depicts a murder incident which occurred at Wa, a town in Ghana. Media reports indicated that the image shows the body of a male adult buried in a shallow grave at Bamahu, a suburb of the town and recovered by the Ghanaian police.
Meanwhile, Harry has continued his information manipulation mission using the X handle: @harreceipts as can be seen here.
Coordinated disinformation campaigns targeting Yorubas
Harry, also called Harrison, is not alone in the coordinated effort to spread disinformation aimed at discrediting the Yoruba ethnic group and deepening the divide between them and the Igbo group.
The FactCheckHub’s investigation uncovered several other accounts engaging in ethno-religious-driven disinformation on the microblogging platform.
Another X account with a similar history is the @VoiceofIgbos. In January 2025, the account claimed that a state of emergency had been declared in Oyo State following the killing of over 50 people. He described the entire southwest region as a crime scene characterised by “skull mining and kidnapping.” The account once also shared the screenshot of a 2023 post by one Kehinde Adekusibe, calling for the massacre of Igbos and tagging it as breaking news.
But checks by The FactCheckHub show no credible media reports or official statements confirming the alleged kidnappings or the declaration of a state of emergency in the Southwestern State. Adewale Osifeso, the Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Oyo state Command, also debunked the claim when contacted on phone by our fact-checker.
Another similar X account is @Afonjaslayer. On October 26, 2024, the account shared a video of unhealthy persons in an unkept place and claimed that a slave house had been discovered in Nigeria’s Southwest, where they’re selling thousands of Yorubas, both boys and girls. However, when it was subjected to a Google image reverse search, it was discovered that it was a video of a police raid on November 5, 2019.
The list of X accounts promoting these kinds of divisive narratives is numerous. The FactCheckHub identified some of them listed here.
Coordinated disinformation campaigns targeting Igbos
Just as many X accounts propagate falsehoods about the Yorubas, The FactCheckHub found several other X accounts that specialise in twisting narratives to portray the Igbo ethnic group in a negative light too. In one instance, these X accounts launched “Igbo Must Go,” an online campaign characterised by various stereotypes and false news about the Igbo ethnic group.
They began with the old video from Ghana one year ago to push such a dangerous and divisive agenda.
One of the leading accounts in this disinformation operation is @nononsensezone. The account reposted a video showing young men being set ablaze on the street after being beaten by mobs with a claim that it shows Igbos from Nigeria being killed for using people for money rituals in Mozambique.
“D*m*. I just watched this video. It has to be one of the most inhumane videos have ever seen. Igbos is not every country you lot need to visit,” the X post read.
Even though the X account posted the video in May 2023, The FactCheckHub’s investigation shows that the video has been online since April 2023, and the incident in the footage occurred in Haiti and not Mozambique. Also, it has nothing to do with Igbos or money rituals.
It is not the first time. The X account has a history of posting misleading visuals and manipulated information about the Igbos. In August 2024, it posted a video claiming that the Igbos are attacking the Nigerian embassy in Dakar, Senegal. When The FactCheckHub subjected the video to a Google reverse image search, it was discovered that the video has been online since 2013.
According to media reports, the attack was done amid the protest by Nigerians over the disappearance of a Nigerian citizen’s body from a hospital morgue. There is no evidence to support the claim that the attack was carried out solely by Nigerians of Igbo extraction. Using old misleading stories, the X account also blamed Igbos for the manufacturing of fake drugs in Nigeria.
This X account is not alone; several other X accounts are also involved in this disinformation peddling. They post misleading stories and visuals about Igbos and help one another to amplify them so that the posts can go viral.
One of them is the X handle: @Onsogbu which has over 46,000 followers and operated by one Pastor Okezie James Atani. He is reportedly a supporter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) party in the country and attacks anyone who criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led government. He was once allegedly arrested by the Police for online defamation, TheCable reported in April 2024.
Another popular X account disseminating divisive narratives on social media is a verified user, Dipo Aina (@dipoaina1) who has over 40,000 followers. Checks show that Dipo Aina is the Managing Director of Onsien Limited, a private limited liability company registered by the nation’s Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in 2018.
In September 2024, Aina posted a video showing mass human movement on the streets, claiming that it showed residents in parts of Southeastern Nigeria fleeing from recent attacks led by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
When our fact-checker subjected keyframes of the video to a Google reverse image search, the results showed an earlier version of the video posted on Facebook on November 24, 2022. It cited Eha Amufu in Enugu State as the affected community. He has also made several divisive remarks against Igbos, as can be seen here and here.
Another X account involved in this information manipulation is @jominabuna2. The account shared photos of human skulls and claimed there’s a festival to celebrate skull mining in Nigeria’s Southeast. This is an attempt to paint the region as a hub of ritual killings.
“Yorubas don’t have a festival where skulls are out on display like they do in Igbo Land. I ask again; Who are the real SKULL MINERS?” the X post read.
However, checks show that the photo represents the war dancing tradition, the integral identity of the people of Ohafia, a Local Government Area and community located in Abia State and the human skulls used were not real as they were crafted from wood.
Deadly consequences
“In a country like Nigeria where ethnicity is already a sensitive issue, this kind of disinformation is like adding petrol to fire,” said Sunday Awosoro, a researcher with Dubawa.
Awosoro warned that ethnic tensions in Nigeria are always simmering beneath the surface, and narratives that portray certain groups as criminals, greedy, or dangerous have real-world consequences.
“It doesn’t just stay online. People carry these mindsets into real life, in markets, schools, workplaces, and even during political campaigns. It creates unnecessary suspicion. Someone hears you’re Igbo, Yoruba, or Hausa, and before they even know you, they’ve attached a stereotype to you,” he explained.
“That kind of mindset can easily escalate into fights, ethnic profiling, and even mob attacks, especially in places where there’s already some tension. So, yes, disinformation like this can spark real-world violence, no doubt,” he added.
Awosoro warned that Nigeria’s existing political divisions along ethnic and religious lines are being worsened by disinformation. He noted that when false narratives take root, voters may no longer focus on competence or ideas but instead make decisions based on fear and prejudice.
According to him, politicians often take advantage of these tensions, as it is easier to mobilise support by portraying an ethnic group as being under threat. This, he explained, results in leaders who prioritise ethnic interests over national unity, ultimately harming democracy. He emphasized that such a situation makes it difficult for Nigerians to see themselves as one nation.
Awosoro further cautioned that the long-term impact of disinformation is the fragmentation of the country, weakening its national identity and deepening existing societal divisions.
On his part, Raji Olatunji, a disinformation analyst with the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) West Africa, warned that disinformation poses serious risks to inter-ethnic relations in Nigeria, as it reinforces negative stereotypes and false narratives that can escalate tension.
He noted that the actions of bad actors spreading such falsehoods could have dangerous consequences, including inciting hate crimes against targeted communities, deepening existing biases, and fostering hostility among ethnic groups.
According to Olatunji, Nigeria’s complex ethno-religious landscape makes it particularly vulnerable to the destabilising effects of disinformation, emphasising that once these narratives take hold, they can quickly spiral out of control, leading to real-world violence and instability across the country.
“The dangers can be far-reaching for Nigeria’s political stability and social cohesion. As it fuels sectarian tensions, it creates more divisions within societies, and the public perception of the country’s ability to conduct free and fair democratic processes becomes negative. By implication, it undermines trust in both public and political institutions,” said Olatunji.
Existing divisions and 2023 general election
Experts said these inflammatory narratives thrive due to long-standing ethnic divisions in Nigeria, fuelled by many past inter-ethnic conflicts dating back to the Nigerian 1967 Civil War. By the time the war ended in 1970 with Biafra’s surrender, over two million people had died, and millions more were displaced.
However, they noted that the 2023 general elections reignited these tensions across Nigeria like never before. Even though the elections are over, millions of Nigerians are still grappling with the fallout from the deeply divisive election campaigns.
During the 2023 elections, politically motivated tribal disinformation spread like wildfire across social media. Peter Obi, the Labour Party candidate, was accused of being sympathetic to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), the southeastern secessionist group. Meanwhile, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, now Nigerian president, faced opposition in the South for not selecting an Igbo or Christian running mate.
Politicians weaponized ethnic divisions for political gain, fueling pre-existing tensions. The elections witnessed a peak in tribal hostility, particularly between the Igbo and Yoruba communities.
While most citizens initially saw the competition between candidates from both ethnic groups as normal, political actors deliberately instilled discord by making inflammatory comments and spreading divisive narratives. In response, many citizens, feeling the need to defend their ethnic identity, likely fell for their agenda.
Throughout the election period, there was a constant tribal battle online and offline. People engaged in heated debates to defend their candidates and ethnic backgrounds. Hate speech, misinformation, and false accusations were widely circulated to discredit opposing groups.
In Lagos, for instance, political actors fueled conspiracy theories that Igbos were attempting to “take over” the state after Peter Obi won Lagos in Nigeria’s 2023 presidential election. In the weeks leading up to the gubernatorial election, social media platforms were flooded with messages warning that the Labour Party’s gubernatorial candidate in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, intended to empower IPOB if elected.
The messages falsely claimed that if he won, he would lay off Yoruba civil servants and replace them with Igbos. Although Rhodes-Vivour hailed from Lagos, his Igbo ancestry became a major talking point during the disinformation campaigns against him.
The phrase “Yoruba Ronu” (which translates to “Yoruba, think”) became a rallying cry against him, spreading rapidly on social media and eventually leading to real-life consequences.
As tensions escalated, hate speech and threats circulated widely. A viral video showing Musiliu Akinsanya (MC Oluomo), a well-known Lagos-based member of the APC and National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) warned voters to stay home if they weren’t planning to support the ruling APC party. Following widespread outrage, he later dismissed his remarks as a joke.
These narratives fuel ethnically charged voter intimidation, violence, apathy and election rigging. Reports indicated that the elections were marred by attacks, suppression, and disenfranchisement.
BusinessDay described Nigeria’s 2023 elections as possibly the most divisive in the nation’s history since the return to democracy in 1999. The report detailed how the election has led to enmity between the Yoruba and Igbo people in markets, churches, workplaces, and other social spaces.
Speaking with The FactCheckHub, a Nigerian lawyer, Abdulwasiu Mujeeb, noted that such divisive narratives peddled by these disinformation actors could fall under hate speech because they are capable of inciting various ethnic groups against one another in the country.
He said: “First, we need to understand the foundation. In Nigeria currently, there is no holistic act or enactment directly prohibiting hate speech, but that doesn’t mean there’s no law or there is no section in any particular enactment or whatsoever that prohibits it.
“For instance, the National Broadcasting Code 2016 talked about the transmission of hate speech. There are also some particular sections in the Nigerian constitution prohibiting incitement of violence or breaching of public peace. These are things that can regulate hate speech in Nigeria whether there’s direct enactment or not,” he said.
Mujeeb noted that the first attempt to criminalize hate speech in Nigeria was in 2019 with the introduction of the Hate Speech Bill, although it failed to pass at the National Assembly.
He explained that, according to the bill and some sections of the NBC Code, hate speech is defined as attempts to create obnoxious content, incite violence or hatred against specific tribes, or breach public peace through statements, tweets, and other actions.
“So, it’s sufficient to say the definition of hate speech in these laws that we mentioned earlier has captured what these actors post. The fact that some Yoruba or Igbo people did something bad or committed a crime doesn’t mean all the members of that ethnic group do that. So, it suffices to say it’s hate speech.
“When you look at the comments under these posts, you will realise that they have been caught in the web of the definition. They have successfully incited violence against a tribe judging by how the people in the comment section are reacting to these posts,” he said.
Experts call for media literacy, accountability
Awosoro emphasized the urgent need for social media platforms to take stronger action against ethnic disinformation, noting that while these platforms have community standards in place, enforcement remains weak, particularly against accounts that consistently spread ethnic hate.
He urged them to collaborate with local fact-checkers who understand the cultural context and can identify harmful content more efficiently. Additionally, he criticized the algorithms that amplify hate-driven content for engagement, questioning why posts designed to incite tribal hate continue to go viral on social platforms.
Awosoro highlighted the importance of encouraging people to think critically before sharing information. He stressed that simple questions like “Who posted this? What’s their agenda? Can I verify this?” could significantly curb the spread of disinformation.
Olatunji pointed out the need for strategic and strengthened partnerships among key stakeholders to combat ethnic-targeted disinformation in Nigeria and highlighted the role of social media platforms in addressing the issue. He stressed that algorithmic changes are necessary to curb the spread of harmful narratives while ensuring the effective implementation of robust content moderation policies.
According to Olatunji, these efforts should involve credible civil society actors and fact-checkers who can provide cultural context and help identify problematic content. He also called on government agencies to take a more proactive approach in tracking and holding disinformation actors accountable.
“Massive media literacy and community-based educational programmes need to be deployed as part of the public awareness campaigns against such disinformation narratives,” he concluded.
This report ia 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.