IN SHORT: In 2022, police in Nigeria’s Ogun state arrested a woman for possession of fake banknotes. Ignore social media posts claiming that the incident took place in Osun state in 2024.
“Woman arrested for using fake naira notes to buy food items in Osun state Nigeria,” reads part of a 26 September 2024 post on Facebook.
The post features a photo of an unidentified woman holding what appears to be banknotes.
Nigeria has been experiencing its worst economic crisis in decades, with people blaming the government of president Bola Tinubu. The rising cost of living has reportedly contributed to an increase in crime rates across the country.
The same claim can be found here, here and here.
But was this woman arrested in Nigeria’s Osun state in September 2024? We checked.
Arrest happened in 2022
Africa Check searched for the claim online and found several news reports from 2022.
On 18 February 2022, Nigeria’s Daily Trust identified the woman in the photo. According to reports, police arrested her for allegedly using fake N1,000 notes at a market.
Police officials also told the media that the arrest happened in Ogun state. It did not take place in Ogun state in 2024.
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