FactCheck: MISLEADING! News platforms publish old story on cleric arrested with human parts in Ondo as recent

Post Date : August 29, 2024

On Wednesday (August 28, 2024), some news organizations in Nigeria reported that the police  apprehended an Islamic cleric named Oluwafemi Idris, who was discovered with a gruesome collection of human parts in Ondo State.

According to the report, authorities, acting on a tip-off, conducted a raid at Idris’s residence in the Akoko area, unearthing a chilling assortment: severed human hands, three kidneys, three hearts, a spine, and even a tongue.

Some media platforms that published this story on Wednesday include: Sahara Reporters, Journalist101, Nigeria Stories, Paralleled Facts, etc.

FactWatch decided to Fact Check this report as we could not found any recent press statement which relates to the story by the police command in Ondo State.  

Fundings

First,  FactWatch couldn’t found a recent press release by the Ondo State Police Command on X or anywhere, which can confirm If this is a new story.

When this Fact Checker copied the story’s caption “Police Arrest Islamic Cleric With Human Hands, Six Kidneys, Hearts“and pasted it on Google search, it was discovered that the arrest of the Islamic cleric in Ondo, took place on 31 March 2024 (earlier this year).

This Fact Checker saw the exact story dated April 01, on Daily Trust and March 31, 2024 on Arise News.

Screenshot of archived DailyTrust report.

Other media platforms like Vanguard, TheCable, DailyPost, also published this same report in March.

Verdict 

The report of arrested Islamic cleric over possession of human parts published by some news organizations in Nigeria recently, is MISLEADING.

This is an old story which occurred in March, 2024.

Credit: FactWatch

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