The Presidency on Tuesday dismissed as fabricated a widely shared screenshot of a purported tweet from President Donald Trump that sharply criticized President Bola Tinubu’s handling of Monday suicide bombings in Borno State.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication Sunday Dare, posted on X, formerly Twitter, calling the image “Fake!!!” alongside a copy of the doctored screenshot.
The fake message, which spread rapidly on social media, accused President Tinubu of neglecting a “national emergency” in the country while on a state visit to Britain.
“The situation in Nigeria is a TOTAL DISASTER,” it claimed, referencing Monday night’s coordinated blasts in Maiduguri, Borno’s State capital, that struck a hospital, a market and a post office.
“While his country is in a state of NATIONAL EMERGENCY, President Tinubu is currently in the UK on a ‘State Visit.’ … Prime Minister Starmer should tell him to get on a plane and GO HOME IMMEDIATELY.”
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NewsQuest independent checks has also not found such post on President Trump’s verified @realDonaldTrump account or official White House channels.
The rebuttal followed a wave of violence in Borno, a longtime stronghold of the Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province insurgencies.
Our correspondent gathered that on Monday evening, shortly after Muslims broke their Ramadan fast, suicide bombers hit crowded areas in Maiduguri, killing at least 23 people and wounding more than 100, according to police.
The attacks came a day after terrorists struck a military outpost in the Ajilari district.
In a statement on Tuesday, President Tinubu called the bombings “profoundly upsetting” and the “final desperate and frantic attempts” by terrorists under pressure from Nigerian troops.
He expressed condolences to victims’ families, solidarity with Borno residents and resolve that “Nigeria will not succumb to fear.”
The President also ordered security and intelligence chiefs to relocate to Maiduguri and oversee operations personally.
