Image of a man in a Spider-Man costume at a protest ground. Photo source: Lindaikejis blog
By Taiwo Adeyemi
Claim: An X user shared a picture showing how police officers arrested a protester in a Spider-Man costume during the #EndBadGovernance protest in Nigeria.
Verdict: Misleading! A protester in a Spider-Man costume did indeed join the #EndBadGovernance demonstration in Abuja. However, the image showing police officers reportedly is from a skit. It has no connection to the protest.
Full Text
President Bola Tinubu has been criticised in recent weeks over the economic hardship being faced by Nigerians amid rising inflation and high costs of living. Many have attributed the harsh economic realities in the country to the president’s decision to float the naira and remove fuel subsidies.
Unhappy with the situation, some groups embarked on a nationwide protest tagged #EndBadGovernance to call government attention to the economic challenges facing citizens. The protest commenced on August 1 and is billed to end on August 10.
On August 2, an X user shared two pictures, one showing police officers arresting someone dressed in a Spider-Man costume. The caption read, “Wahala! Police don arrest Spider-Man oo. How we go take release am? Who knows his identity?? Lawyers, abeg help ooo.”
The picture has been viewed by over 27,000 users, with over 600 reposts and more than 700 likes.
Many users have been reacting to the pictures. One of them, @shedgab $RICY called on the American government to react. “@SecBlinken why are you all quiet when it comes to Nigeria why we the youth have been taking note of those since the last election.”
Another user, @investor, questioned why the protesters allowed the police to take the man in the Spider-Man costume. “Why did you guys allow them to take him?” he queried.
Similarly, a user @LALA questioned the authenticity of the picture. “I don’t think this is real because that uniform does not look like a real police uniform. Besides, the police do not dress like that during protests.”
Due to the sensitivity and reactions generated by the pictures, DUBAWA decided to verify it.
Verification
The researcher used Google Reverse Image Search to check both images in the X user’s post. Findings showed the first image was correct, as a protester in a Spider-Man costume joined other demonstrators in Abuja on August 2, 2024, for the #EndBadGovernance protest. This was reported by Television Continental, TVC.
However, further findings using Google Reverse Image Search showed that the second picture depicting the arrest of a man in a Spider-Man costume was a screenshot from a skit posted on TikTok on June 26 and YouTube on July 12.
It is not related to the #EndBadGovernance protest as claimed.
Screenshot of a skit where police officers arrested a spiderman
Conclusion
While a protester in a Spider-Man costume did indeed join the #EndBadGovernance protest in Abuja, the viral image is from a skit that has been on the internet since July 12, 2024. It is unrelated to the ongoing protest and the claim is false.