- An X user shared a video claiming Nigerian men were breaking down in tears over a widespread rice shortage across the country
- The post attracted over 97,000 views by August 2, 2026, with many commenters condemning Nigeria after believing the claim was true
- Fact-checking organisation DUBAWA traced the footage to a specific event in Lagos that had nothing to do with food scarcity
A video circulating on X and Facebook, which claimed to show Nigerian men weeping over a rice shortage in the country, has been flagged as misleading by fact-checking organisation DUBAWA.
The post, shared by X user @Sello_Libramon, was captioned: “Nigerian men were seen breaking down in tears and crying as a result of the ongoing shortages of rice across Nigeria…” By Sunday, August 2, 2026, the video had gathered over 97,000 views, 960 likes, 360 reposts, 240 bookmarks, and 90 quotes. A similar version of the claim also spread on Facebook.
Many users in the comments section accepted the post at face value, drawing sharp conclusions about Nigeria’s economic situation. @Kareen_green wrote, “I swear these people (Nigerians) are born retarded, after all that crying, they hop online and start telling us how wealthy they are.” @WandileSzibaxa added, “Nigerian politicians are actually evil. You can’t sleep well as a politician knowing your people are starving like this.” A third user, @TheBlacpioneer, said, “There’s something seriously wrong with this country and its people.”
What a reverse image search revealed
DUBAWA ran screenshots from the video through a Google Reverse Image Search, which returned matching footage posted on Instagram and Facebook. Those posts identified the men in the video as mourners attending funeral proceedings for Toba Ajiboye, the organising secretary of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Lagos State Council.
Television Continental (TVC) reported that Ajiboye’s family members and colleagues gathered in Lagos to pay their last respects. A keyword search further confirmed that Ajiboye, popularly known as Ijaya, was shot by unidentified gunmen in Lagos and died on July 14, 2026, according to a report published that same date.
A subsequent news report noted that family members, colleagues, friends, and supporters gathered in tears to bury him in Ketu, Lagos State, with “viral videos” showing a large crowd of mourners at the event.
No evidence of a rice shortage crisis
DUBAWA found no credible report of Nigerian men publicly weeping over a rice shortage anywhere in the country. The claim, which surfaced against the backdrop of Nigeria’s ongoing inflation and rising food prices, has no factual basis.
DUBAWA concluded that the footage is connected to the burial of the NURTW secretary in Lagos State, and that the claim attached to it is misleading.
Source: Legit.ng