Fact Check: Was NYSC Member Brutalised in Kauran Namoda, Zamfara State? 

Claims: A disturbing photo of a man lying face down on a table with broken back soaked in blood and big wounds, has been circulating on WhatsApp claiming that he was a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member attacked in Kauran Namoda, Zamfara State. 

Full Text: According to the claims, the corps member was brutally attacked and injured in Kaura Namoda, Zamfara state.The attack resulted in severe lacerations and bleeding on the corps member’s back.

The incident has triggered reactions across social media platforms, with people condemning it as an act of human cruelty.

The viral picture shows the corps member’s back with bloody wounds.The text accompanying the photo reads thus, “NYSC Corps Member Brutalized in Kaura Namoda, Zamfara state.”

Verification: To verify the authenticity of the photo, PRNigeria fact-check team conducted a keyword search, which revealed that the only relevant incident related to the claim in Zamfara occurred in 2017 but the accompanying photo to the 2017 incident is not the same as the one currently circulating. At the time, Vanguard published a condemnation of the incidence by the pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere, who decried the alleged brutalization of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member, Esi Uwakwe, by police in Kaura Namoda, Zamfara State.

Additional findings uncovered a statement from the scheme in March 2017 titled, “CORPS MEMBER UWAKWE RELOCATED OUT OF ZAMFARA.” 

This revealed that the NYSC Management relocated Corps member Esi Uwakwe out of Zamfara State following the incident in which he was assaulted by a policeman in Kaura Namoda. 

At a news briefing at the NYSC Headquarters in Abuja, Director of Corps Welfare and Inspectorate, Mrs. Victoria Okakwu, announced that Uwakwe had been relocated to Anambra State. Although the matter had been resolved amicably, Okakwu explained that the decision was made to ensure Uwakwe’s safety and alleviate any concerns about his well-being.

Further investigation revealed various other news reports confirming the redeployment in 2017 stating that, “The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) announced that Corps member Esi Uwakwe, who was allegedly beaten by a policeman in Kaura Namoda, Zamfara State, had been withdrawn from the State alongside eleven others serving in the school.” The article also included a photo of the corps member showing his back to debunk claims of brutalization.

Meanwhile, the PRNigeria fact-check team also conducted a reverse image search and found an August 2019 fact-check by Africa Check, which revealed that the image was created by a makeup artist. According to Africa Check, “An article on the blog of Italian fact-checker David Puente exposed that the photo is a special effect created by Nigerian makeup artist Hakeem Onilogbo in 2014, debunking claims of brutalization.

“The photo of a man’s wounded back is not a true reflection of the assault on Michael Uwakwe in 2017. The photo is the work of a Nigerian make-up artist and unrelated to the incident where Uwakwe was beaten by police,” the report said.

Meanwhile, a statement sent to PRNigeria by Abdulrazak Bello Kaura, a journalist from Kaura Namoda, Zamfara state, and Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Zone A (Northwest) titled “Fake News Alert: No Incident of Corps Member Brutalization in Kaura Namoda, Zamfara state,” debunked the incidence. 

Bello who also shared the statement on his Facebook page declared: “I, Abdulrazak Bello Kaura, a journalist and resident of Kaura Namoda, Zamfara state, and Secretary of NUJ (Northwest), wish to debunk a false story circulating about a corps member named Michael being brutalized in Kaura Namoda. This story is entirely fabricated, and the image of the supposed corps member is false.

“This misinformation is being spread by well-meaning individuals who have been misled. Notably, the current NYSC allowance is N19,800, which further highlights the inaccuracy of the story. Please disregard this story in its entirety.”

Also, in another statement sent to PRNigeria by the Spokesperson of the Nigeria Police Force, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi termed the claim “grossly misrepresented.”

Tracing the origin of the first incident, the Police Spokesperson further explained, “A female student had written something the Corps member deemed insulting during a test, and in response, the corps member decided to punish her by asking the student to crawl on her knees, which caused her some injuries.  This punishment did not sit well with the student’s family, prompting them to escalate the matter to the Police. The Area Commander in charge of the area at the time exercised his discretion and detained the corps member temporarily. The Commissioner of Police intervened thereafter and directed the corps member’s release. The matter has since been amicably settled, and there was no further escalation beyond this point,” it said 

Conclusion: findings by PRNigeria reveals the picture currently circulating alongside the claim that a NYSC member was brutalised in Kauran Namoda, Zamfara State, has no connection to the actual individuals or events which was first reported in March 2017. The image was created by a makeup artist as a special effect for a fictional scenario, not depicting a real event. 

PRNigeria therefore concludes that the claims of a corps member being brutalized in Kaura Namoda, Zamfara state, is Misleading.