#EndBadGovernance: Old images of Davido linked to ongoing protest

Claim: Viral pictures circulated on social media claiming that Davido joined the #EndBadGovernance protest yesterday.

Verdict: The photos were retrieved from the 2020 #EndSARS protest. They are old and misleading.

Full Text

Reports indicate that the #EndBadGovernance protest has gradually turned violent in states such as Kano, Gombe, Yobe, Abuja, and Niger. However, protests were not recorded in some states like Ekiti, Ondo, and most of the country’s southeastern states.

Meanwhile, as the event continues, photos of David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, a Nigerian musician, started making the rounds on TikTok and X (formerly Twitter), with the caption, “Davido at the #EndBadGovernance protest today.” “Davido is the only big celebrity that came out.” 

On X, it reads: “The pictures showed the artist surrounded by youths, speaking into a megaphone, while on another, he was on his knees.”

While some claimed that he joined the protest in Abuja, others claimed that he did in Lagos and decided to participate after seeing his colleague, Wizkid, join the protest. 

The virality of this post made DUBAWA fact-check it.

Verification

DUBAWA conducted a Google Reverse Image Search and found similar pictures. These images were attached to blogs and media reports during and after the #EndSARS protest in October 2020, including reports by Channels TV,  Daily Trust, Daily Post, Premium Times, and PM News Nigeria.

According to a Premium Times report published on October 12, 2020, despite the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, announcing the dissolution of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS or FSARS) on Sunday afternoon, Davido planned a protest against the police unit.

The image credit for this post is one of the pictures circulating today, claiming the artist joined the ongoing protest. Also, Daily Post used one of the images as a photo credit in its publication on November 14, 2021. Part of the report reads: “Nigerian singer Davido has been urged to run for House of Representatives in 2023.”

“Deji Adeyanju, an activist, urged the musician to contest while reacting to his N250 million donation to orphanages across Nigeria. According to him, Davido’s donation to the less privileged in the nation shows he is aware of the issues faced in the nation.”

Conclusion

The viral pictures are unrelated to the #EndBadGovernance protest. They are throwbacks of Davido during the #EndSARS protest. They are old and misleading.