IN SHORT: Several posts on social media claim that poisoned cows belonging to Fulani herdsmen are being transported to the economic hub of Lagos. They also claim that the Fulanis have vowed to sell the meat to communities in the south. But the video used to support the claims has been doing the rounds since 2022.
A video showing dozens of dead cows has been posted on Instagram. According to the caption, cattle belonging to Fulani herdsmen invaded farmlands in the southwest of Nigeria and destroyed all the crops. In retaliation, the cows were poisoned, the post said.
The 27 May 2024 post reads, in part: “People have been advised not to buy cow meat for the next one month. Fulani cattle entered farm lands in the SW and destroyed all their crops. In response these cows were poisoned on their way to Lagos. The Fulani owners,swore that they would sell all the poisoned meat in the south. After cutting their necks the dead cows are now being distributed in the whole south.”
The Fulani are a widespread group of mostly Muslim cattle herders who live throughout West Africa.
In Nigeria, Fulani groups are sometimes accused of causing conflict in a struggle for resources. However, some Fulani accuse the media of stereotyping them.
The clash between Fulani herdsmen and farmers is caused by competition for land and water, made worse by climate change, population growth and more farming.
The conflict has had a significant impact on the economy. It has disrupted farming, destroyed property and livestock, and forced people from their homes.
Similar posts can be found here and here. (Note: See more instances listed at the end of this report.)
Africa Check investigated when the video was filmed and whether there is evidence that poisoned meat is being sold “in the whole south” of Nigeria.
Video is old
Africa Check searched for credible news reports of cattles being poisoned and sold in the south-west of the country. In April, Arise TV reported that an abattoir in Ilorin, Kwara state was temporarily shut over sale of cows suspected to have died of poisoning.
But there have been no reports of the sale of poisoned beef and the Kwara state government also said the “suspected poisonous beef was seized”.
Using the video verification tool Invid, Africa Check broke up the video into frames and ran them through Google reverse image search.
The search led us to the same video posted on Facebook in July 2022, with the caption: “Unseen Spirit Slaughtered Fulani Cows.”
Another Facebook user posted the video in the same month and year with a slightly different caption, saying it showed about 1,200 cows being slaughtered in the presence of their Fulani owners.
While this doesn't prove that the photo shows slaughtered cows belonging to Fulani herdsmen, it does prove that the video has been online since at least July 2022.
For publishers: what to do if your post is rated false
A fact-checker has rated your Facebook or Instagram post as “false”, “altered”, “partly false” or “missing context”. This could have serious consequences. What do you do?
Click on our guide for the steps you should follow.
Publishers guideAfrica Check teams up with Facebook
Africa Check is a partner in Meta's third-party fact-checking programme to help stop the spread of false information on social media.
The content we rate as “false” will be downgraded on Facebook and Instagram. This means fewer people will see it.
You can also help identify false information on Facebook. This guide explains how.
Add new comment