DISINFORMATION actors are increasingly exploiting Nigeria’s ethnic fault lines to spread false narratives and hate speech, reinforce stereotypes, and turn ordinary incidents into weapons for fuelling hostility between communities.
With millions of Nigerians consuming news and discussing politics on social media, a misleading photograph, an old video or a fabricated claim can reach thousands of people within minutes. When such content is framed around ethnicity, its impact can be particularly dangerous because it does not simply mislead people about an event; it can encourage people to view an entire community with suspicion or hostility.
Ethnic disinformation is the deliberate creation, manipulation or dissemination of false or misleading information designed to influence how people perceive an ethnic group or to create hostility between ethnic communities. In Nigeria, a multi-ethnic nation with more than 300 ethnic groups and over 500 languages, such content has the potential to deepen existing divisions.
Ethnic disinformation can take different forms. A genuine photograph may be given a false ethnic context; an old crime report may be presented as a recent incident; or the actions of an individual may deliberately be portrayed as evidence of the behaviour of an entire ethnic group.
Various accounts on social media repeatedly recycle old news, manipulate media reports and use misleading visuals to portray rival ethnic groups negatively. Some accounts have pushed narratives portraying Yorubas as ritualists, drug traffickers and kidnappers, while others have used similar tactics to portray Igbos or Hausas negatively.
During the 2023 elections, politically motivated ethnic disinformation and hate speech spread widely on social media. Peter Obi, the Labour Party candidate, was accused of being sympathetic to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), the south-eastern separatist group. Meanwhile, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, now Nigeria’s president, faced criticism from some quarters over his choice of Kashim Shettima, a Muslim, as his running mate.
The elections also saw heightened ethnic hostility, particularly between Igbo and Yoruba communities.
While many citizens initially viewed competition between candidates and their supporters as a normal part of an election, some political actors and supporters amplified inflammatory comments and divisive narratives. In response, many citizens, feeling the need to defend their ethnic identities, may have been drawn into these narratives.
Red flags to recognise ethnic disinformation on social media
- Old photographs or videos presented as new
Disinformation actors frequently recycle old visuals and present them as evidence of a recent incident. For instance, a video showing a group of women holding tree branches and chanting “Igbo Must Go” resurfaced online in 2024 as though it showed a recent event. The FactCheckHub found that the video had been online for more than a year before the post was made.
Similarly, a video trended on social media with a claim that it showed men from the Igbo ethnic group attacking an embassy in Dakar, Senegal. The FactCheckHub found that the video had been online since 2013 and showed a different incident.
- Genuine images given false or misleading captions
A photograph does not have to be fake for the claim attached to it to be false. A real image can be taken from an old news report and paired with a new caption that changes its location, date, identities or circumstances.
For example, an image was used to claim that a Yoruba man had killed his sister for money rituals. The FactCheckHub’s investigation, however, found through reverse-image searches that the photograph originated from a murder incident in Ghana. This demonstrates that verifying whether an image is genuine is only the first step. Users should also establish whether the caption accurately describes what the image shows.
- “Breaking news” with no credible source
Another warning sign is an extraordinary claim presented as breaking news without identifying its source. Such posts may announce mass killings, kidnappings, attacks or government actions but provide no link to a credible news organisation, official statement or identifiable source.
In January 2025, an X account claimed that 50 people, including five Nigerian soldiers, had been kidnapped in Oyo State and that a state of emergency had subsequently been declared across the South-West. The original post was archived here.
However, checks by The FactCheckHub found no credible media reports or official statements confirming the alleged kidnappings or declaration of a state of emergency. The Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Police Force, Oyo State Command, also debunked the claim.
- Sweeping ethnic generalisations and slurs
Posts that repeatedly describe an entire ethnic group as criminals, ritualists, kidnappers, drug traffickers or fraudsters should immediately attract scrutiny.
The use of ethnic slurs is another warning sign. Some accounts use derogatory terms while discussing issues and deliberately frame individual incidents as evidence of alleged criminal tendencies among an entire ethnic group. Such language is often intended to provoke anger rather than provide useful information.
- Coordinated amplification of the same narrative
Ethnic disinformation can sometimes be spread by networks of accounts rather than a single user. One account may publish a claim while others repost it, add inflammatory captions or present the same allegation as independent confirmation. Repetition can then make an unverified claim appear credible.
Various accounts on X and Facebook have repeatedly amplified similar divisive narratives. When the same claim suddenly appears across numerous accounts, users should check whether those accounts are genuinely independent sources or simply amplifying one another.
- Accounts with a history of divisive narratives
The history of the account publishing a claim can provide important context. An account that repeatedly posts sensational crime stories involving one ethnic group, uses ethnic slurs or publishes misleading content targeting the same community may be pushing a broader narrative rather than simply sharing an isolated falsehood. Checking previous posts can therefore reveal patterns that may not be obvious from a single viral post.
The FactCheckHub has previously identified social media actors known for posting hate speech and deliberately using disinformation and information manipulation to inflame ethnic tensions in Nigeria. One example is Harry Da Diegot, a social media commentator known for repeatedly posting anti-Yoruba content and making inflammatory remarks targeting the ethnic group.
- Strong emotional language designed to provoke anger
Ethnic disinformation often relies on fear, anger and outrage to encourage people to share content before verifying it. Posts may use inflammatory language, graphic descriptions, insults or accusations designed to make readers immediately hostile towards another community.
When a post makes you extremely angry, that is precisely when you should slow down. Ask yourself whether the post is providing evidence or simply trying to provoke an emotional reaction.
What changed after the 2023 elections?
The 2023 general elections marked a particularly intense period of ethnic and political disinformation in Nigeria. Political competition increasingly became framed in ethnic terms, particularly in the contest between Peter Obi of the Labour Party and Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress.
Obi was repeatedly portrayed as sympathetic to IPOB, while narratives around Tinubu focused on his choice of running mate and the perceived exclusion of particular ethnic or religious groups.
In Lagos, Obi’s victory in the presidential election also became the basis for narratives portraying Igbos as attempting to “take over” the state. Ethnic tensions did not disappear after the elections. Instead, some of the narratives evolved from direct election-related propaganda into broader attempts to portray rival communities as inherently dangerous or criminal.
Ethnic disinformation and hate speech do not come from one category of actor. Political actors may exploit ethnic grievances for mobilisation, influencers can amplify divisive narratives to large audiences, while anonymous or pseudonymous accounts can repeatedly push inflammatory claims with little accountability.
Artificial intelligence could make this problem even more difficult to detect. Generative AI can produce realistic images, clone voices, create synthetic videos and alter existing photographs. This means future ethnic disinformation campaigns may no longer depend primarily on recycling old photographs or videos.
Raji Olatunji, a disinformation analyst with the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) West Africa, told the FactCheckHub that disinformation poses serious risks to inter-ethnic relations in Nigeria because it reinforces negative stereotypes and false narratives that can escalate tensions.
He noted that the actions of those spreading such falsehoods could have dangerous consequences, including inciting hate crimes against targeted communities, deepening existing biases and fostering hostility among ethnic groups.
“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,” Olatunji said.
What this means ahead of the 2027 elections
With Nigeria heading towards another general election in 2027, some social media users have already begun spreading ethnic disinformation and hate speech, echoing patterns seen during the 2023 elections.
As political activities gather pace, similar tactics could become more pronounced. The digital space is likely to remain a key battleground for political narratives, with misinformation, disinformation and inflammatory content capable of fuelling ethnic tensions.
Speaking with the FactCheckHub, Adejumo Kabir, a senior researcher at Pan-African think tank Good Governance Africa, explained that ethnic disinformation and hate speech could transform the 2027 election from a contest over competing visions for Nigeria into one increasingly driven by identity, fear and suspicion.
“Ethnic disinformation is dangerous because it promotes profiling and collective blame. When an individual’s crime is attributed to an entire ethnic group, it creates an ‘us versus them’ mentality, deepens mistrust and reinforces stereotypes. Old or manipulated videos make this worse, as false narratives can spread widely before they are debunked. Unfortunately, many people may never see the correction. Such narratives will deepen social divisions and influence political choices through fear and identity rather than issues,” he said.
“We have already seen how misinformation and inflammatory narratives can shape perceptions during the 2023 election. With the current reality, Nigerians are more inclined to support candidates based on perceived ethnic protection rather than their verifiable records.”
He added that a second concern is electoral violence, particularly when fabricated videos or false reports of attacks circulate during periods of heightened tension.
“There is also a longer-term governance implication. Democracy requires citizens to disagree without treating disagreement as a justification for hostility,” he said.
Kabir added that those who may benefit from ethnic disinformation include politicians, partisan supporters, influencers seeking engagement, coordinated online networks and individuals pursuing selfish interests to deliberately destabilise communities.
“Their motivations could be to mobilise voters by creating an identity-based sense of threat. For online influencers, content that provokes anger, fear or indignation tends to attract engagement, which can translate into followers and financial income. Once citizens begin to consume information primarily through ethnic or political identity, they become less likely to question information that confirms their existing beliefs,” he concluded.
Olatunji, a researcher with CDD, also pointed to the need for strategic and strengthened partnerships among key stakeholders to combat ethnic-targeted disinformation in Nigeria. He highlighted the role of social media platforms in addressing the problem and stressed the need for algorithmic changes 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 organisations and fact-checkers that can provide cultural context and help identify problematic content. He also called on government agencies to take a more proactive approach to monitoring disinformation and, where appropriate, holding those responsible 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.
Nurudeen Akewushola is a fact-checker with FactCheckHub. He has authored several fact checks which have contributed to the fight against information disorder. You can reach him via [email protected] and @NurudeenAkewus1 via Twitter.
