A viral social media claim alleging that a young boy pictured in a widely circulated photograph was among children abducted by suspected bandits in Kogi State and later killed has been found to be false.
The claim, which gained traction on Facebook and other social media platforms, was accompanied by a caption suggesting that the child had died after being kidnapped during a recent school abduction incident in Kogi State.
However, findings by fact-checkers have revealed that the image has no connection to the Kogi school kidnapping.
Investigations showed that the most recent school abduction in Kogi State occurred on April 26, 2026, when suspected bandits attacked Daarul Kitab, an unregistered Islamic school and orphanage in Zariagi, Lokoja, abducting 26 persons, including pupils and relatives of the school's proprietor.
Security agencies later carried out rescue operations, successfully securing the release of all abducted victims.
A reverse image search conducted on the viral photograph revealed that the image had already been circulating online as early as April 19, 2026—seven days before the Kogi school abduction occurred.
Further verification also showed that the same photograph had been used repeatedly in unrelated social media narratives, including false claims involving family disputes and paternity-related stories.
The discovery confirms that the image predates the kidnapping incident and cannot be linked to any of the victims involved in the Kogi school abduction.
Additionally, no official statement, security agency report, or credible media publication has identified the child in the photograph as one of the abducted pupils.
Conclusion
The claim that the viral image depicts a child who died after being kidnapped during the Kogi school abduction is false. Evidence shows that the photograph existed online before the incident occurred and has been recycled multiple times in unrelated contexts.
Tags
Misinformation