FACT CHECK: Did Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari Instruct His Military To ‘Be Prepared For War’ In Ukraine?

Trevor SchakohlApril 4, 2022

An image shared on Facebook allegedly shows a tweet from Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari stating he had advised Nigerian military personnel “to be prepared for war” in Ukraine.

Verdict: False

There is no record of Buhari sending such a tweet. It appears to be fabricated.

Fact Check:

The Facebook image shows what appears to be a tweet from Buhari’s verified Twitter account that reads, “We stand with Ukraine at this trying time really after speaking to President Biden on his plans, I have informed my military personals to be prepared for war!, we will not let this slide.”

There is, however, no record of Buhari sending such a tweet. It does not appear on his verified account and none of his genuine tweets mention Ukraine by name. Buhari’s official account, where the tweet allegedly surfaced, has not been updated since June 2021. The formatting and font of the alleged tweet also do not match those of genuine tweets found on Twitter.

Check Your Fact found no credible news reports to suggest the Nigerian government recently announced plans to become militarily involved in Ukraine. No such statement telling the military to be “prepared for war” can be found on the Nigerian government’s press release page or on Buhari’s other social media accounts.

The image shared on Facebook includes the handle “@delsutv”, which corresponds to a Twitter account that has since been suspended. (RELATED: 4 Claims From Biden’s 2022 State Of The Union Address)

Buhari recently approved $8.5 million in funding to help 5,000 Nigerians stuck in Ukraine evacuate the country, Nigerian news outlet The Guardian reported. Shortly after the war broke out in Ukraine, Buhari released a statement lamenting reports that Nigerians had been refused entry to Poland, saying, “All who flee a conflict situation have the same right to safe passage under UN Convention and the colour of their passport or their skin should make no difference.”