Adetutu Sobowale and Oluwaseye Ogunsanya
Claim
A video which features some unknown persons purported to be security operatives have been widely shared by social media users.
Do not snatch the ballot box
This is just the beginningBurna Soulja Delete Election#NigeriaDecides2023 #NigeriaGeneralElection2023#ObiDatti2023 pic.twitter.com/bHc5klzUw8
— Vicko🏆Blaq🖤 (@VickoBlaq) February 25, 2023
Verdict
This claim is MISLEADING! The video was taken in Ghana in preparation for its 2020 election.
Full Text
As the 2023 general elections goes underway, there has been a rise in the spread of misinformation on social media platforms.
A video which features some groups of young men storming a place looking like a polling booth to disrupt the place have been widely shared by social media users.
While some users claimed in a now deleted tweet that the persons are ‘unknown gunmen’ who have come to disrupt the voting process in their respective polling units, others attached it to the Nigerian Army adding that they were ready to deal with anyone who attempted to disrupt the voting process.
Live at a Polling Unit as some hoodlums come to destroy voting materials all of them collect cause the forces where on ground
No Labour Party #Nigeriaelection2023 Ikorodu Ogun State #NigeriaDecides2023 #NigeriaElections2023 Election Day pic.twitter.com/i0PGArd3Yf
— 𝓘𝓶𝓶𝓸𝓻𝓽𝓪𝓵 (@BenedictAthana1) February 25, 2023
Those IPOP Terrorists sends by Simon Ekpa started receiving wotowoto from Nigerians forces.#Presidentialelection #NigeriaDecides2023 #FirstTimeVoter pic.twitter.com/E8ev7yQdIj
— عكاشة⚕️ (@UK_Moyi) February 25, 2023
If you do anyhow you go see anyhow 😂 dey waste una life for people wey no even send you #NigeriaElections2023 #ObiWon #NigeriaDecides2023 #election2023 pic.twitter.com/PSHm2AmJm5
— Tejumola 🧘🏽♂️ (@Tejumorlah) February 25, 2023
Verification
To verify the video, FactcheckElections took a screenshot of the video and subjected it to google reverse image search. We found out a report which revealed that the video was recorded in Ghana in 2020.
The video showed security personnels from Ghana Police who are training in preparation for the 2020 Ghana presidential election. The report stated that in a bid to curb the occurrence and deal with cases of ballot snatching, the Ghana Police Service is taking personnel through intensive training.
Similarly, a Ghanaian Twitter user, K.B Owusu-Ansah @KBOwusu-Ansah also posted the video. He said: “Ghana police drill. Don’t joke around today. The past of carrying ballot boxes is gone. #GhanaDecides”
Ghana police drill. Don’t joke around today. The past of carrying ballot boxes is gone. #GhanaDecides pic.twitter.com/ka2gaLIXYC
— K.B Owusu-Ansah (@KBOwusuAnsah) December 7, 2020
Conclusion
The claim is MISLEADING and not related to the ongoing 2023 election in Nigeria.