CDC-COP Chairman Uses Nigerian Video to Claim Liberia is "Lawless"
Claim: "Liberia is lawless under President Boakai-Koung's administration."
Source: Foday Massaquoi, Chairman of the Congress for Democratic Change-Council of Patriots (CDC-COP)
Verdict: Misleading, the CDC-COP Chairman uses a Nigerian Video to Claim Liberia is "Lawless."
Full Text: On April 7, 2025, Foaday Massaquoi posted on his Facebook account that Liberia has become lawless under the administration of President Joseph N. Boakai and Vice President Jeremiah Koung.
To support this claim, he shared a video showing what appeared to be a suspected criminal being set ablaze by an angry crowd.
In his post, Massaquoi suggested this incident reflected growing frustration among citizens who no longer believe in Liberia's justice system. At the time of our fact check, the post had generated 30 reactions, 81 comments, 24 shares, and 9,900 views.
Verification: TSM contacted Massaquoi via Messenger to verify details about the video in his post. Rather than addressing questions about the video's authenticity, Massaquoi deflected with the response, "When will you ask me about constitutional violations of this regime?"
When pressed about the discrepancy, Massaquoi attempted to redirect the conversation instead of addressing the factual inaccuracy in his post.
Our research revealed that the video was not filmed in Liberia at all. It originated in Nigeria and was originally shared on X by an account identified as "the Emir of Ikorodu."
To verify this finding further, we consulted Blessing Oladunjoye, a Nigerian journalist residing in Nigeria, who confirmed that the language spoken in the video is Igbo, a Nigerian language.
Oladunjoye provided translations of the dialogue, with speakers saying, "See, he wants to enter someone's car," "Who owns this car? Take it out," and "Na wa" o"—a Nigerian expression of surprise.
Conclusion: Based on our investigation, the video Massaquoi used to support his claim about lawlessness in Liberia is from Nigeria, not Liberia. His characterization of the Boakai-Koung administration based on this misattributed evidence is misleading and constitutes disinformation.
