Mass protests erupted in Nigeria in August as anger grew over the high cost of living and government policies. Amid the tensions, a video surfaced online with claims that it showed angry demonstrators hurling stones at security officers. However, the claim is false; AFP Fact Check found the video has been online since July 4, 2024 and was filmed in Kenya, also the scene of anti-government rallies in recent months.
On August 6, 2024, an X account shared a video showing uniformed security officers scrambling for safety into a lorry and driving off after being chased by a stone-throwing crowd.
“Police on the run as protesters chase them with stones in Kaduna (sic),” reads the caption of the video viewed more than 350,000 times and reposted 1,500 times.
A Facebook post alleged the clip showed police being chased in Kaduna during a 24-hour curfew imposed on the city, which is the capital of Kaduna state in the northwest of Nigeria.
The same claim was repeated elsewhere on Facebook, including here, here and here.
Nigerian protests
Thousands of Nigerians took part in demonstrations across the country on August 1, 2024, to protest against unpopular government policies and the high cost of living (archived here).
The rallies turned violent with rights group Amnesty International accusing security forces of killing at least 21 demonstrators. Police denied responsibility (archived here).
In Kaduna, looting and vandalism of public and private property were witnessed, forcing the state government to impose a 24-hour curfew in the capital and Zaria metropolis (archived here). The curfew hours were later relaxed.
While security officers were on the street enforcing the curfew, the video circulating on social media does not show violence in Kaduna or elsewhere in Nigeria.
Kenyan protests
AFP Fact Check analysed the clip for visual elements to help geolocate the event. The first two clues were the uniforms of the security officers and the truck they drove off in.
The jungle green combat garb resembles that of Kenyan police while the number plate on the truck starts with “GK” – a reference to the “Government of Kenya” – which is used by Kenyan security officers.
Although Nigerian soldiers wear a similar uniform to that of Kenyan police, the video shows an officer carrying a shield marked “police” — indicating they are not part of the army.
We also compared images taken by AFP of police officers during protests in Kenya and Nigeria.
Simon MAINAKola SulaimonAFP
Kenyan police uniforms are green combat, while Nigerian police uniforms are grey with black accents.
The language spoken in the footage provided further evidence.
Around 30 seconds into the clip, a woman is heard saying “Look at those” in Kamba, one of Kenya’s local languages, which is mainly spoken in the eastern region.
Using the video verification tool InVID-WeVerify, AFP Fact Check conducted reverse image searches on multiple keyframes. The investigation led to a video published on the YouTube channel of an account called Kamba Nation on July 16, 2024 (archived here).
According to the channel, the clip shows protesters in Emali, a region in eastern Kenya, chasing police officers during the anti-government protests.
“Emali GenZs Overpower Police and this is the Current Situation (sic),” the caption reads.
Another search on YouTube revealed a longer video, with more clues, that helped us geolocate it to the precise area (archived here).
Within the first few seconds, we see four arched-shaped roofs of a building on the side of the road before the camera pans to the white lorry and police truck. The same skyline of hills is visible in the background.
We found the location on Google Maps, confirming it was Emali in Kenya.
A further search on social media revealed the video was shared within the same context in Kenya on July 4 on X and TikTok. It reappeared on July 16 and 17.
Rallies took place in Kenya on those dates, with local media reporting that the demonstrators in Emali barricaded the main highway (archived here and here).
Kenyan youth started protesting in June against an unpopular finance bill, which President William Ruto later withdrew.
The demonstrations evolved into broader anti-government protests that continue to take place sporadically.
