Screenshots of what seem to be Google search result pages are circulating on Facebook and Instagram, spreading a rumour that Nigerian music star Divine Ikubor, known as Rema, has died.
“Rema (musician) Divine lkubor (born May 1, 2000), and died on February 1, 2020 at 12:29 am,” they read.
The posts have attracted thousands of views, with many users commenting that the screenshots are fake.
Did Rema really die on 1 February 2020?
Media and entertainment sites have debunked the news. The error seems to have come from the musician’s Wikipedia page, which was updated with a claim he had died.
Wikipedia is a free online encyclopaedia, created and edited by volunteers from around the world.
The claim of his death has since been removed from Rema’s Wikipedia page.
And the young star’s most recent post on his Instagram page is dated 2 February 2020 – the day after he was rumoured to have died. – Jennifer Ojugbeli
“Rema (musician) Divine lkubor (born May 1, 2000), and died on February 1, 2020 at 12:29 am,” they read.
The posts have attracted thousands of views, with many users commenting that the screenshots are fake.
Did Rema really die on 1 February 2020?
Musician alive – claim on Wikipedia page
Media and entertainment sites have debunked the news. The error seems to have come from the musician’s Wikipedia page, which was updated with a claim he had died.
Wikipedia is a free online encyclopaedia, created and edited by volunteers from around the world.
The claim of his death has since been removed from Rema’s Wikipedia page.
And the young star’s most recent post on his Instagram page is dated 2 February 2020 – the day after he was rumoured to have died. – Jennifer Ojugbeli
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.
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