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Claim: Multiple social media users claim Ghanaian youth have organised a protest against comments on the establishment of the Igbo Kingdom in Ghana by the acclaimed Igbo King.
Verdict: Misleading. DUBAWA’s checks reveal that the video used to portray alleged recent protests is old. Although there has been public outcry on social media, there have been no physical/ public protests by Ghanaian youth.
Full Text
Significant numbers of Ghanaians live in Nigeria, and vice versa. Both countries have coexisted with hearty banter over sports supremacy and ownership of certain African delicacies.
On the other hand, periodic migration rifts have marred the relationship between the two anglophone countries for decades. In the 1960s, Nigerians were expelled from Ghana. Similar events happened in the 1980s, when Ghanaians were forced to leave Nigeria.
In recent times, there has been an uproar on social media by Ghanaians regarding the purported establishment of the Igbo Kingdom on Ghanaian soil. Many believe this is not right and is against the laws of Ghana.
In the wake of the uproar, several social media users have shared a video alleging that Ghanaian youth have staged a protest against Igbos and Igbo cultural displays in Ghana. Find some posts with the video of the alleged protest here, here, here, and here.
DUBAWA decided to investigate the video because it has the potential to misinform and portray an atmosphere of violence and hostility towards other nationalities living in Ghana.
Verification
DUBAWA, using InVidWeVerify, conducted a keyframe analysis of the video circulating on social media, purportedly from protests by Ghanaian youth. Reverse image searches conducted with the keyframes obtained revealed that the video is from heckling between personnel of the Ghana Police Service and supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) after the arrest of their Ashanti Regional chairperson, Antwi-Boasiako. The video first appeared online on May 30, 2025.
The scuffle broke out when Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the former Vice President, visited the National Investigation Bureau (NIB)’s head office on May 30, 2025, in Accra. He was visiting to offer his support to the NPP regional chairman who had been arrested.
Protests gain traction and attention from major, credible media outlets in Ghana. However, there is no video coverage by any credible media house in Ghana on demonstrations by the youth against Igbos or their cultural displays. Typically, a protest would attract media interviews or statements from participants registering their displeasure, but no such evidence accompanies the circulating footage.
Additionally, there is no signage, banner, or indication in the video suggesting that the protest was related to the Igbos or their cultural displays.
Furthermore, scrutinising the video circulating and the one from Bawumia’s visit indicates the entrance of Accra’s National Investigation Bureau (NIB) headquarters.
Conclusion
The claim that Ghanaian youth staged a protest against the Igbo community and their cultural displays is misleading. The video being circulated is unrelated to the Igbo Kingdom controversy. It was filmed during a scuffle between NPP supporters and police officers at the National Investigation Bureau (NIB) head office in May 2025.
