IN SHORT: An image seemingly showing Nigerian president Bola Tinubu in hospital is circulating on Facebook. It is captioned by a short prayer, suggesting that the president’s health is deteriorating. But the image has been manipulated.
An image circulating on Facebook appears to show Nigeria’s president Bola Tinubu on a hospital bed.
Most of the posts are written in Hausa, a language widely spoken in northern Nigeria.
A machine translation of one post, dated 11 October 2024, reads: “To Allah we belong and to Him we shall return. Strong Sources Say He Moves But Little. Tulumbu what happened to him?”
The first part of the post is a common Islamic prayer. It is usually recited when someone has died or in times of hardship.
Tinubu became president at the age of 71. He has sought medical care out of the country at various times, sparking rumours that he was too old to occupy the highest office in the country.
The same claim can be found here and here. (Note: See more instances at the end of this report.)
But does the image show Tinubu in hospital? We checked.
Doctored photo
A closer look at the image reveals some signs of manipulation. Tinubu’s face appears to stand out from the rest of what should be his body. The quality is also poor for a photo supposedly taken in 2024.
A Google reverse image search found the same photo but of a different person. The original image shows photojournalist Sunmi Smart-Cole. It was taken in 2018 when Smart-Cole was hospitalised for a week in Lagos.
According to reports, Smart-Cole was treated for injuries sustained during then president Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to Lagos on 29 March of that year.
A comparison of the original photo and the image circulating on social media shows that they are identical except for the face of the man lying in bed. Tinubu’s face has been superimposed on the original photo of Smart-Cole.
The same photo and claim can be found here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
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