Posts falsely claim Nigerian minister Nyesom Wike was arrested at US airport
'Breaking News Wike Arrested At U.S Airport Transferred To Washington D.C Prison Over 2023 Election,' reads a Facebook post shared more than 3,000 times since first being published on February 8, 2025.
An eight-minute-long video in the post shows random clips of cars with blaring sirens and parked police vans.
Image
Screenshot of false post taken on February 17, 2025
A Facebook page called 'Dabreezy Comedy' shared the clip with its nearly 700,000 followers.
'I have been seeing news on a matter since yesterday and I saw a viral video on YouTube. They said Nyesom Wike has been arrested in the US. He was arrested immediately after he arrived at the airport and taken to a prison in Washington. I don't know how true this information is but watch this video,' the narrator says in pidgin English.
The video includes embedded footage from another Facebook page called 'Oghi Family Fun2' where a different narrator comments on the same topic and refers to an article published on the subject by Legit.ng, a popular blog in Nigeria, (archived here).
Image
Screenshot showing the tweet from X handle, @celebrityblo
The claim about Wike was repeated on TikTok.
Nigeria's 2023 presidential election was keenly contested and Wike was in the spotlight for openly supporting the eventual winner Bola Tinubu from the rival All Progressives Congress (archived here).
Discrepancies were later uncovered in the ballot results in Rivers state where Wike was governor at the time (archived here).
However, the claim that Wike, who now administers Nigeria's capital city, has been arrested in the US is false.
On home soil
Wike is a seasoned politician in Nigeria, having held key positions in government since 1999, including two terms as governor of oil-rich Rivers state in the Niger Delta region (archived here).
News of his arrest would have made headlines in Nigeria. Keyword searches show this did not happen.
AFP Fact Check searched Wike's verified X account and found posts (here, here and here) showing that he had been inspecting and commissioning construction projects in Abuja since late January.
Yesterday, I commissioned the Carriageway from Garage Junction to Local Education Authority Secretariat in Kuje Area Council, Abuja.
The project was awarded in January 2024. pic.twitter.com/xlz4cR0AJP — Nyesom Ezenwo Wike (@GovWike) January 23, 2025
A video published by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) also showed Wike presiding over a meeting with security chiefs in Abuja on February 7, 2024 — a day before the post about his alleged arrest was published (archived here).
Four days later, he presided over a second meeting with the Federal Capital Territory security committee (archived here).
Wike's spokesperson Lere Olayinka rejected the claim as false.
'The minister has been in Abuja since the beginning of February. He has not travelled overseas, [much less] being arrested at an airport,' Olayinka told AFP Fact Check.
Furthermore, the Legit.ng article cited in the false video was a fact-check that debunked claims of Wike's arrest (archived here).
However, the narrator in the Facebook video only read the opening paragraph of the article summarising the claim and ignored the rest of the story, which concluded that the arrest rumour had been false.
Image
Screenshot showing the first paragraph of Legit.ng article referenced by the narrator
AFP Fact Check has debunked several claims about Trump and Nigeria here, including that he banned Nigerian politicians from entering the US.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
LeMonde
4 hours ago
- LeMonde
Netflix hit 'Adolescence' will be shown in French schools, government announces
British Netflix drama Adolescence, which has sparked widespread debate about the toxic and misogynistic influences to which young boys are exposed online, can now be shown in French secondary schools, a minister has said. The producer of the Netflix series has "opened up the rights to us" and the French education ministry will "offer five educational sequences to young people based on this series," Education Minister Elisabeth Borne told LCI TV late on Sunday, June 8. The excerpts from the miniseries are "very representative of the violence that can exist among young people," Borne said, adding they would be shown in secondary schools to children from the age of around 14. Such materials are intended to help raise awareness of the problem of "overexposure to screens and the trivialization of violence on social networks," as well as the spread of theories of so-called masculinists, misogynistic spheres which advocate violence against women, Borne said. Addressing exposure to mysogynistic rhetoric The French initiative followed a precedent set in the UK. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the move to screen the show, in which a 13-year-old boy stabs a girl to death after being radicalized on the internet, "an important initiative" that would help start conversations about the content teenagers consume online. Adolescence, which was released on March 13, follows the aftermath of a schoolgirl's fatal stabbing, revealing the dangerous influences to which boys are subjected online and the secret meaning youngsters are giving to seemingly innocent emojis. The series has resonated with an audience increasingly disturbed by a litany of shocking knife crimes committed by young people and the misogynistic rhetoric of influencers like Andrew Tate. As of June 1, it reached a total of 141.2 million views, making it Netflix's second most-watched English-language series ever, according to industry magazine Variety.
Euronews
4 hours ago
- Euronews
UK unveils ‘golden opportunity' for wider ban on bottom trawling
Conservationists are celebrating a proposal from the UK government to ban bottom trawling in dozens more marine protected areas (MPAs). MPAs are sections of the ocean that a country aims to protect because they are of particular ecological importance. Bottom trawling - a destructive type of fishing that drags weighted nets across the seafloor - is allowed in many of these sensitive areas. Currently, only four of the UK's 377 MPAs are fully protected from bottom-towed fishing gear - an area covering 18,000 square kilometres. A new proposal announced at the start of the third United Nations Oceans Conference (UNOC) in Nice would see an additional 30,000km2 protected, with the ban extended to 41 MPAs. Size wise, that's roughly half of English MPAs. 'Bottom trawling is damaging our precious marine wildlife and habitats. Without urgent action, our oceans will be irreversibly destroyed - depriving us, and generations to come, of the sea life on which we all enjoy,' Environment Secretary Steve Reed said in a statement this morning. 'The government is taking decisive action to ban destructive bottom trawling where appropriate.' Its first step is a consultation, launching today (9 June) until 1 September, which will invite marine and fisheries stakeholders to share their views and give evidence about the proposed ban. If adopted, the measures would protect marine habitats ranging from subtidal sandbanks to gravels to muds, and support important marine species such as lobster, clams, soft corals and langoustines, the government says. 'Destructive bottom trawling has no place in marine protected areas. These proposals provide a golden opportunity to safeguard these vital marine sanctuaries from the most damaging fishing practices,' says Hugo Tagholm, Executive Director of the ocean advocacy group Oceana UK. 'If these whole-site bans are fully implemented, this could provide an invaluable and urgently needed lifeline for England's seas, which are so crucial for wildlife and climate resilience.' Joan Edwards, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at The Wildlife Trusts, also emphasises that properly protecting MPAs is 'a win-win for both nature and the climate.' 'Removing this pressure is a great step forward towards protecting not only the wildlife and fish stocks within those sites, but also the carbon stored in the seabed muds beneath,' she says. Still, conservationists are anxious to ensure promising words are backed by action, even after the spotlight of UNOC3 has dimmed. 'The government should now strengthen the ban to cover all parts of our marine protected areas, and other types of destructive industrial fishing like supertrawlers and fly-shooters. Only this will ensure our marine ecosystems are protected in reality - not only on paper,' comments Ariana Densham, Head of Oceans at Greenpeace UK. Clare Brook, CEO of Blue Marine Foundation, calls the announcement 'highly encouraging and very welcome. If delivered (and remember this is a consultation) it will mean that England's offshore MPAs are at last given the protection they claim.' The ocean conservation charity is making waves with the release of its satirical short film featuring Stephen Fry and White Lotus star Theo James. The Bottom Line takes place in a fine dining restaurant, where James's character is presented with the gruesome bycatch behind his 'sustainable' hake order. 'As a keen diver, I've long been captivated by the ocean and been horrified by the impact humans are having on it. Having had a load of bycatch dumped on me, it really drove home just how grotesque and devastating the practice of bottom trawling is,' said James, who is an ambassador for the charity alongside Fry. "Conservation policy is awash with shiny new announcements and impressive sounding targets whereas what is needed is actual delivery,' Jonny Hughes, Senior Policy Manager at Blue Marine Foundation, said of today's news. 'This, at first glance, seems to be about delivering conservation. We need to see the full details but initial reading is positive." France's stance on bottom trawling is also under review. The co-host of UNOC has announced strict protection measures for 4 per cent of its mainland waters (15,000 square kilometres), banning harmful human activities including bottom trawling. But the announcement falls short of implementing a comprehensive ban on bottom trawling across all MPAs, environmental lawyers note. 'This is an important turning point,' ClientEarth CEO Laura Clarke said of the UK and French updates. 'We welcome these pledges at UNOC - and we would like to see more of them. We also need to see these bans effectively enforced.' Last year, Greece became the first European country to announce a ban on bottom trawling in its protected areas, starting with its three national marine parks by 2026. Sweden has gone a step further by promising to ban the damaging practice in all its territorial waters as of next month. The EU's 2023 Marie Action Plan calls on member states to phase out bottom trawling in all MPAs by 2030. But recent research from NGOs Oceana, Seas At Risk and ClientEarth revealed that no EU country currently has a comprehensive plan in place to phase out destructive fishing practices in these protected areas. As momentum builds, environmental organisations are pressuring all European countries to follow suit. ClientEarth, Oceana, Danish NGO Danmarks Naturfredningsforening and the Seas at Risk coalition last week threatened legal action against Denmark, the Netherlands and Spain for allowing widespread bottom trawling in its MPAs. World leaders are gathering in the French city of Nice on Monday for the United Nations Ocean Conference. It comes as just 2.7 per cent of the world's oceans are effectively protected from extractive activities, according to the non-profit Marine Conservation Institute. This is far short of the target agreed by nearly 200 countries in 2022 to protect 30 per cent of the the world's oceans by 2030. With increasing threats from climate change, overuse of marine resources and pollution, leading marine experts are calling on governments to use this opportunity to protect fragile underwater ecosystems. Without a healthy ocean, they warn, wider climate goals will remain out of reach. Taking place from 9 to 13 June, it is the largest ocean summit ever organised and could provide a vital chance for key agreements to be finalised, promises to be delivered upon, and new pledges to be made. Co-chaired by France and Costa Rica, the conference aims to confront the deepening global ocean emergency. Scientists warn that climate change, plastic pollution, the loss of ecosystems and the overuse of marine resources are all pushing our oceans to the point of no return. In an effort to spark collaboration and subsequent solutions to some of these problems, UNOC is bringing together world leaders, scientists, activists and businesses. Specifically, it focuses on the implementation of UN Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water. The overarching theme of this particular conference is 'accelerating action and mobilising all actors to conserve and sustainably use the ocean'. This is the third UN Ocean Conference, and over 10,000 people will be in attendance. It is set to welcome leaders like Brazil's Luiz Inácio Lula and France's President Emmanuel Macron will be in the spotlight. The week-long talks will end with the adoption of a political declaration. While this won't be legally binding, it sets the tone for future global ambition, serving as a signal to governments, investors and civil society and hopefully motivating support for new initiatives. UNOC identifies three key priorities for the declaration: defending ocean ecosystems, sustainable ocean economies and accelerating actions. A successful conference would result in a final and signed political declaration which would be called the Nice Ocean Action Plan. More ratifications of the landmark UN High Seas Treaty are also expected as efforts intensify to ensure its implementation. A strong outcome could also help lay the groundwork for more biodiversity and climate wins at COP30 in Brazil later this year. France is co-hosting the conference with Costa Rica, and it is being held in Nice on the country's Mediterranean coast. Ahead of the summit, President Macron and the French government have been encouraging countries to improve ocean protection. And on Sunday, Macron called on nations to commit to a mortorium on deep-sea exploration. "I want us to reach an agreement for the entire planet. Because it's completely crazy. It's completely crazy to go and exploit, to go and drill in a place we don't know. It's frenzied madness," he said. Macron said around 30 heads of state and government have committed to a moratorium on deep-sea exploitation. 'We've…had the leadership from the French government engaging with countries to increase the ratification for the BBNJ (UN High Seas Treaty),' says Rita El Zaghloul, director of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People. In late May, the European Union and six of its member states formally ratified the High Seas Treaty after France and Spain did so earlier this year. It is hoped that this international agreement will garner enough ratifications before the end of the summit to enter into force as international law. France has been actively leading efforts to engage with countries on ocean protection, El Zaghloul adds, to ensure that the conference ends with some concrete results. Earlier this year, Chile and France announced the '100 per cent Alliance', urging coastal and ocean states to commit to 100 per cent sustainable management of their national ocean areas. But Enric Sala, National Geographic explorer in residence and founder of Pristine Seas, emphasises that France has to be a 'leader in actions, not just words'. 'France is the co-chair of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, committing to at least 30 per cent of the ocean protected by 2030,' he explains, 'and in France…there are all these protected areas, but most of these protected areas are open to commercial fishing, including bottom trawling.' France, the conference co-host, claims to have surpassed the 30 per cent target for marine protection. But environmental groups say only 3 per cent of French waters are fully protected from harmful activities like bottom trawling and industrial fishing. In 2024 alone, more than 100 bottom-trawling vessels were recorded spending over 17,000 hours fishing within France's six marine nature parks, according to ocean advocacy group Oceana. Sala says just 1 per cent of French waters are no-take areas that actually allow marine life to recover. These areas also bring huge benefits for tourism, jobs and local, small-scale fishermen. 'Everybody expects President Macron to make some announcements of designation of new marine protected areas that are truly protected. Also, there is a great expectation for President Macron to make some commitment about phasing out bottom trawling in marine protected areas.' That criticism is echoed across the continent. A new World Wildlife Fund report found that although more than 11 per cent of Europe's marine area is designated for protection, just 2 per cent of EU waters have management plans in place. The pledges made both at the conference and before will mean nothing, however, without the funds to back them up. And global marine protection efforts are already critically underfunded. In 2022, nearly 200 countries agreed to designate 30 per cent of the world's oceans as protected areas by 2030. As of 2024, just 8.4 per cent were covered, and only 2.7 per cent have been assessed to be effectively protected - meaning there are regulations and active management in place to ensure minimal or no damaging activities. That latter figure has dropped earlier this year as a result of the Trump Administration's rollback of the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument. Just two countries - Palau and the United Kingdom - have effectively protected more than 30 per cent of their waters, although effectively protected areas in UK waters are overwhelmingly located in remote, overseas territories. Around $15.8 billion (€13.8 billion) a year is needed to achieve the 30 per cent by 2030 target, but a new report by a global coalition of nature NGOs and funders has found that just $1.2 billion (€1.05 billion) is currently being spent. That is a massive funding gap of $14.6 billion (€12.7 billion) - a figure the environmental groups point out is just 0.5 per cent of annual global defence budgets. Brian O'Donnell, director of Campaign for Nature, which led on the finance gap analysis, says protecting the ocean is 'no longer just an ecological imperative - it's an economic one.' 'For just $15.8 billion (€13.8 billion) a year, we can protect one of our planet's most valuable assets while avoiding costs and unlocking long-term returns in the tens of billions.' The report's authors say it sends a clear message ahead of UNOC: governments can't afford to underinvest in ocean protection. And the conference is a critical opportunity to build momentum, ratify key international agreements and recognise the value of the ocean.
Euronews
12 hours ago
- Euronews
Jared Leto accused of sexual misconduct by nine women
Oscar-winning American actor and Thirty Seconds From Mars frontman Jared Leto has been accused of sexual misconduct by nine women. In a report published by Air Mail, multiple women accused the 53-year-old star of Fight Club, Requiem For A Dream, Dallas Buyers Club and Suicide Squad of inappropriate behaviour. The allegations date back to the early 2000s, with one woman calling it 'an open secret' that he texted sexual remarks to teenage models. Allegations against Leto emerged last month, when DJ Allie Teilz shared an old Facebook post, written in 2012, on her Instagram Story. 'Youre [sic] not really in L.A. until Jared Leto tries to force himself on you backstage… In a kilt.. And a snow hat. I was assaulted and traumatized by this creep when I was 17,' she wrote. In separate story, she added: 'He knew my age and didn't care. What he did was predatory, terrifying and unacceptable.' One woman told the publication that in 2006, when she was 16-years-old, Leto approached her outside a Los Angeles café. She claimed Leto was sat with fellow actor Ashley Olsen – who was then 19 – and he had grabbed her arm. 'I looked down and it was Jared Leto,' she told Air Mail, adding: 'We had a quick conversation, and he got my number.' She went on to say that Leto called her home a few days later, recalling: 'I don't know if he was on drugs or what … It was the weirdest, grossest voice … [but] for me, it's Jared, you know?' 'And the conversations turned sexual,' she continued. 'He'd ask things like: 'Have you ever had a boyfriend? Have you ever sucked a dick?'' Model Laura La Rue came forward with similar claims, saying that when she was 16-years-old in 2008, she was at an event in a private residence in Beverly Hills where Leto was 'watching her so intensely'. 'He asked how old I was. I said, 'I'm 16. How old are you?'' La Rue told Air Mail. Leto, who was 36 at the time, then reportedly asked for her number. The two began an email correspondence, which resulted in her visiting Leto's home in April 2009, the outlet alleges. 'I remember him teasing me the whole time I was there,' La Rue said, adding: 'He was flirting with me. He'd lean in close, then pull away, like it was a game.' She described a separate visit when she was 17 years old, where she alleged Leto walked out of a room completely naked. 'He just walked out, dick out, like it was normal… I thought maybe this was just what adult men do,' she said. Another woman who spoke to the outlet said that she and Leto began texting while she was still underage. She alleged he would ask her inappropriate questions during her visits to his house, including 'Do any of the little boys you hang out with fuck you?' The woman alleged that once, when she was 18, Leto had 'suddenly pulled his penis out and started masturbating'. She told Air Mail: 'He walked over, grabbed my hand, and put it on him. He leaned in and said: 'I want you to spit on it.'' A representative of Leto has 'expressly denied' the multiple accusations reported in the Air Mail exposé, saying the claims were 'demonstrably false'. This is not the first time that Leto's behaviour has been questioned and called out. Similar claims were made in 2005, when The New York Post shared a story with the opening line: 'Jared Leto likes 'em young' after he had been spotted with Olsen and Lindsay Lohan. At the time, sources told the publication he had been 'aggressively pursuing many of the teen models shacked up at the Maritime Hotel'. In 2018, Metro reported on a Twitter post made by Dylan Sprouse, who is married to model Barbara Palvin. The post read: 'Yo @JaredLeto now that you've slid into the DMs of every female model aged 18–25, what would you say your success rate is?' Guardians Of The Galaxy and Superman director James Gunn replied to Sprouse's tweet at the time, saying: 'He starts at 18 on the internet?' The world of football makes regular headlines for huge money-spinning transfers as fans eagerly anticipate what wonders players will bring to their team. This week has seen one of the biggest moves in the fashion business with the iconic French maison Dior now hoping Jonathan Anderson will liberally sprinkle his magic dust about its men's and women's collections to boost its fortunes. For almost a decade, the Northern Irish designer led the LVMH-owned Spanish fashion house Loewe – an unmitigated success story, increasing the brand's annual revenues fivefold. Now, he steps into a historic role at Dior, becoming the first person since Christian Dior himself to serve as its sole creative director. It's a major moment for the 40-year-old designer, whose journey began far from the runways of Paris. Born in Magherafelt, a small town in Northern Ireland, Anderson left home at 18 to pursue acting in the US. He later changed course and returned to Europe. Drawing on his childhood passion for theatre and costume, he decided to study at the London College of Fashion, where he graduated. Last year, Anderson was named one of the 100 most influential people by Time magazine, praising 'his innate understanding of how fashion and human behavior intertwine' and how 'his work is always ahead of the curve'. His sense of cultural timing has been noticeable throughout the years. Think back to February 2020, just before the world shut down, Harry Styles was rehearsing for the Today show in a colourful, patchwork JW Anderson cardigan. The knitted sweater quickly went viral on TikTok, where users began crocheting their own versions – unaware of just how much time lockdown would soon give them to perfect their craft skills. Another example is Rihanna's headline-making pregnancy reveal at the 2023 Super Bowl halftime show, where she wore a striking all-red jumpsuit and breastplate designed by Anderson. The bold look subtly confirmed her second pregnancy to millions watching worldwide, creating a viral craze. Or when Anderson decided to make then 87-year-old Dame Maggie Smith the face of Loewe campaign, showing that fashion doesn't have an age. In a Vogue Business interview Dior CEO Delphine Arnault called him 'the most talented designer of his generation.' Praising his experience at Loewe and leadership within the group, Arnault added, 'He has great experience managing large teams, even though he is only 40. More importantly, he has a very clear vision for the brand.' Anderson steps into the role following former creative director for women's collections, Maria Grazia Chiuri. The Italian designer Grazia Chiuri was also celebrated by Arnault for her 'tremendous work with an inspiring feminist perspective and exceptional creativity, all imbued with the spirit of Monsieur Dior, which allowed her to design highly desirable collections.' Arnault said, 'She has written a key chapter in the history of Christian Dior, greatly contributing to its remarkable growth and being the first woman to lead the creation of women's collections.' Anderson is competitive by nature – something he may have inherited from his father, Willie Anderson, a former Ireland international rugby player. Anderson sees clear parallels between sports and fashion, once telling The Independent: 'Sportspeople are extremely competitive – to win. And in fashion, when you see someone do something brilliant, it drives you to do something better… to keep outdoing yourself". His parents have always been supportive. In an interview with The Irish News, they said, 'They believed in a kid who had monumental talent, and we were the same. We saw something in Jonathan. And then we went about ensuring in his early days that we could help him fulfil his dream. You'll do anything for your kid if you believe their dream is not something that's beyond them.' His father Willie even admitted that he and Anderson's mother Heather 're-mortgaged the house to try and get him through certain points.' In 2008, he launched his eponymous label, JW Anderson, in which LVMH acquired a minority stake in 2013. In 2015, JW Anderson made history at the British Fashion Council's Fashion Awards by becoming the first house to win both Menswear and Womenswear Brand of the Year in the same year. The brand is known for blurring the line between men's and womenswear, often labeled androgynous or gender-bending, though Anderson himself prefers the term "unisex". Thankfully for his parents and their home, Anderson has more than delivered.
