MISLEADING: Military Checkpoints In South-East Not New, Not Targeting Christmas Travellers

A claim circulating on X (formerly Twitter) by user @Ifeanyiakorjuru alleges that Nigerian military officers have blocked roads against Christmas travellers in the Southeast.

This claim, accompanied by an image of a military checkpoint, has garnered significant attention.

However, a fact-check by THE WHISTLER reveals that the claim and image are misleading.

VERIFICATION:

IMAGE: A reverse image search by THE WHISTLER reveals the image used in the claim is not recent.

It has been online since 2015 and has been used by various news outlets, including Premium Times and The Cable, in unrelated contexts.

CHECKPOINTS: While military checkpoints exist in the South-East, they are not a new phenomenon.

These checkpoints predate the current Christmas season and serve various purposes, including security and border control.

EXTORTION: The claim about extortion of N200 from travellers is unsubstantiated. No credible reports or evidence support this allegation.

OUR VERDICT:

Based on our verification, the claim that military officers blocked South-East roads specifically targeting Christmas travellers is false and misleading.

The image used is not recent, and checkpoints in the region are not a new development.

While concerns about extortion at checkpoints exist, the specific claim about N200 targeting Igbos lacks evidence and is MISLEADING.