FACT-CHECK: Viral video of capsized ferry is from DRC not Nigeria’s Niger State

Claim: Video showing a capsized boat happened in Nigeria’s Niger State.

Source: Facebook/WhatsApp

Verdict: Misleading

Researched by Hamza Ibrahim

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A 53-second video showing a ferry loaded with people capsizing into water has been portrayed online as the scene of an accident that happened in Nigeria’s Niger State on October 2, 2024.

The video has since gone viral on WhatsApp and other social media platforms including Facebook in Nigeria. 

On October 2, 2024, a boat carrying more than 300 passengers identified as  Muslims was travelling from Mundi to Gbajibo for the annual Maulud celebration when it capsized on a river in Niger State, in the northwest of Nigeria.

Turkish news agency, Anadolu Ajansi in a report on October 7 citing local news sources said 70 victims had been confirmed dead with over 150 rescued.

Fact-check

Using the InVID Verification Tool’s keyframe feature combined with the Reverse Image Search function, FactSpace Nigeria found that the video of the capsizing was not shot in Nigeria. 

Information gathered from the internet shows that the video was captured during an incident on Lake Kivu in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo on October 3, 2024, a day after the Nigeria incident. 

The Associated Press on October 3, 2024, shared the video on its YouTube Channel and captioned it; “Footage filmed by a witness shows the moment an overcrowded boat capsized on Lake Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo, killing at least 78 people.”

FactSpace Nigeria also found an X user Rev Christine Coleman, who shared the same video confirming the incident in the DRC adding a list of survivors to the post on X. 

Furthermore, voices in the background of the video could be heard saying ‘Jesus save us’ in Congo Swahili, which is not a language spoken in Nigeria. 

Meanwhile, Channels TV has shared the original video showing how the boat was loaded before the mishap in Niger State.  

Verdict

The video showing a capsizing ferry did not happen in Nigeria but in the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

Therefore, the claim is misleading.