FACT-CHECK: AI Video Falsely Claims Tinubu Is Fleeing Nigeria Over FBI Files
BY: Peter Emmanuel |
CLAIM
A viral AI-generated video by Okwadike TV alleges that President Bola Tinubu is “running away” from Nigeria for three weeks because the FBI handed his alleged drug files to a United States judge and he fears being captured by American authorities.
The video has generated over 10k likes, 402 comments, with over 2,100 views as at the time for this report.
FULL TEXT
The 30-second video features an AI-generated representation of President Bola Tinubu saying, “FBI have given that American judge my alleged drug file, so I am leaving the country for three weeks.”
A character representing the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, then responds, “But Mr. President, we have just put together your campaign team. (Tinubu Responds) “Do you want America to come and capture me here in Nigeria?”
The video presents the conversation as though it were a genuine exchange between Tinubu and Gbajabiamila.
VERIFICATION
DNN FactCheck reviewed the video and compared the claims with official statements from the Presidency and available information concerning the United States court proceedings involving records relating to Tinubu.
The video uses AI-generated visual and audio representations of President Bola Tinubu and Femi Gbajabiamila. There is no evidence that either official made the statements presented in the video or participated in the purported conversation.
However, the video draws on two genuine developments to create a false narrative.
The first is Tinubu’s three-week trip outside Nigeria. On August 30, 2026, the State House announced that Tinubu had departed Abuja for Europe for a three-week vacation as part of his annual leave, with London as his first stop. The statement was issued by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy. It said Tinubu was expected to return after the working vacation to join the campaign for the January 2027 election.
The second development concerns an ongoing Freedom of Information Act case in the United States involving records relating to Tinubu.
Reports show that the FBI submitted records to US District Judge Beryl A. Howell on August 28, 2026, for confidential review in the ongoing FOIA litigation. The records were submitted under seal and were not released publicly.
The existence of that court process, however, does not support the claim that Tinubu left Nigeria to escape arrest or capture by US authorities.
In a clarification issued on September 4, 2026, the Presidency described the matter as a civil records-disclosure dispute under the US Freedom of Information Act and stressed that it is not a criminal case against Tinubu. The statement also said that the release or withholding of records under FOIA does not, by itself, establish criminal liability.
The Presidency further explained that the case concerns requests for government records and the legal exemptions governing what information can be disclosed. It said the remaining dispute concerns whether the redactions and withholding of portions of the FBI and DEA records comply with US law.
The available court-related reports also show that the records submitted by the FBI remain under seal for the judge’s review. They were not handed to the public or released as a new set of criminal findings against Tinubu.
There is therefore no evidence in the official travel announcement or the Presidency’s clarification connecting Tinubu’s three-week leave to an attempt to evade US authorities.
The purported conversation between Tinubu and Gbajabiamila is also not supported by any official recording, transcript or statement. The video has instead used AI-generated representations of both officials to present an invented conversation as real.
VERDICT
FALSE
WHAT WE FOUND
President Bola Tinubu did leave Abuja on August 30, 2026, for a three-week annual leave in Europe. The Presidency publicly announced the trip and described it as a vacation and working visit.
The FBI also submitted records relating to Tinubu to US District Judge Beryl A. Howell on August 28, 2026, in connection with an ongoing FOIA case. The records were submitted under seal for the court’s review.
However, the two events do not establish the narrative presented in the video.
The Presidency has stated that the US case is a civil FOIA records-disclosure dispute and not a criminal case against Tinubu. It also said that the proceedings have not established criminal liability against him.
There is no evidence that Tinubu left Nigeria because he feared arrest or capture by US authorities.
There is also no evidence that Tinubu and Gbajabiamila had the conversation presented in the video. The dialogue was fabricated and presented through AI-generated representations of the two officials.
CONCLUSION
The claim that President Bola Tinubu is “running away” from Nigeria because the FBI handed his alleged drug files to a US judge is FALSE.
Tinubu’s three-week departure from Nigeria was officially announced as part of his annual leave. Separately, the FBI submitted records to a US judge in an ongoing civil FOIA case. There is no evidence that the President’s trip was connected to the court proceedings or that he left Nigeria to evade arrest or capture.
The purported conversation between Tinubu and Femi Gbajabiamila is fabricated.
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