IN SHORT: An Igbo chief from Nigeria’s Imo state was among a group of people arrested on various charges, including kidnapping, in 2020. Claims that the arrest took place in 2024 are false.
“The Imo State Police have arrested Igwe Eze Okwuegbunwa, a 69-year-old Igbo monarch from Uba-Agwa in Oguta LGA, along with his wife, cousin, pastor, and 30 others on charges of r0bbery and k!dnapping,” reads a Facebook post dated 17 October 2024.
As evidence, the post is accompanied by a photo of a group of men and a woman sitting on the ground. One of the men appears to be dressed like a chief.
A few people in what appear to be Nigerian police uniforms stand behind the seated group.
The Igbos are one of Nigeria's largest tribes. They live mainly in the southern states of Anambra, Abia, Imo, Ebonyi, and Enugu.
Similar posts can be found here, here and here.
But did the arrest take place in 2024, as the posts suggest? We checked.
It’s old news
A Google reverse search of the photo shows that it has been online since 2020.
A search of keywords from the claim led to an August 2020 article by media outlet PM News Nigeria, with the headline: "Imo chief Eze Okuegbunuwa, dad & two sons arrested for kidnapping.”
The article also featured the same image circulating on Facebook. It said Eze Okuegbunuwa, a chief in Imo state, and others were arrested on kidnapping charges.
We found other reports on the 2020 arrest from reputable news organisations here, here and here.
The Igbo monarch was part of a group that was arrested on various charges, including kidnapping, in 2020. Claims that the arrest took place in 2024 are false.
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