Juliet Buna
An X user, @LagosEbira_Girl, on April 7, 2024, raised the alarm over an alleged Hemorrhagic fever outbreak in Lokoja, Kogi State.
The user reported the tragic death of a student due to the disease and expressed uncertainty about its nature.
According to the post, individuals who had recent contact with the deceased would undergo isolation for precautionary measures.
The post reads partly, “Looks like there’s a disease outbreak here in Lokoja 🥺 Lost a student yesterday to ‘Hemorrhagic fever’. Don’t know what that is, but other people who were in contact with the deceased in the last 21 days are going to be kept in the isolation centre. May his soul rest in peace.”
The video quickly garnered attention, amassing over 158,000 views, 318 reposts, and 281 likes.
Subsequent comments from concerned citizens speculated that the illness could be Lassa fever, emphasising the importance of rat control to prevent its spread.
An X user, @sequenncy, wrote,
“That is Lassa fever people should be careful with rat and their food.”
Another user wrote, @Fakeye user said no one should leave Lokoja for now, “Abeg make nobody travel from lokoja for now ooo.”
The post gained further traction after being shared by a popular blog site, Instablog.
VERIFICATION
N-VA did a keyword search, and we observed that a news report by the Guardian Nigeria reported on the incident with the headline, “Fears over a possible outbreak of Lassa Fever in Lokoja.”
@LagosEbira_Girl, who posted the original video, later clarified that the reported case of Lassa Fever was not confirmed, indicating that the information was speculative pending official test results.
Kogi State Commissioner for Health, Dr Abdulazeez Adeiza, also refuted the alleged Lassa fever outbreak, stating that the deceased student’s case had tested negative for the disease.
Several reputable news outlets, including The Punch Newspaper, DailyPost, and Tribune online, echoed the commissioner’s denial, further discrediting the viral claims.
CONCLUSION
The viral video alleging a Lassa Fever outbreak in Kogi State is unfounded and constitutes misinformation.
The researcher produced this fact-check per the DUBAWA 2024 Kwame KariKari Fellowship, in partnership with Crest 91.1FM, Ibadan and News Verifier Africa, to facilitate the ethos of “truth” in journalism and enhance media literacy in the country.
