DEBUNKED: Fake claim about pastor arrested with human skulls in Ilorin
A Facebook user, Ododo Oro TV, posted an image of a pastor, claiming that he was arrested in Ilorin for possessing human skulls.
The post reads:
“This is Pastor Gabriel Josaya aka Eli-Wakuku, who was arrested at Osere area in Ilorin for the offence of having human skulls in his possession in his church namely, St. Moses Orimalade Church, Osere area, Ilorin, Kwara State.
Over 120 human skulls. Yeeeeeeee.”
CLAIM:
The image shows a pastor arrested for possessing human skulls in Ilorin.
FINDINGS
FactCheck247’s findings reveals that this claim is FALSE, as the image has been online since February 2015.
A Google Reverse Image Search traced the photo back to a 2015 news report by Daily Post and PM News Nigeria. The image actually depicts Prophet Michael Raji, who was arrested for drug-related offenses at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
Prophet Raji was a leader of the Eternal Sacred Order of Cherubim and Seraphim at Agodo-Egbe, Ikotun, Lagos. There is no evidence linking the image to Pastor Gabriel Josaya or any human skull-related crime in Ilorin.
VERDICT
The claim that the image shows Pastor Gabriel Josaya arrested in Ilorin for possessing human skulls is FALSE. The image has been online since 2015 and is linked to an unrelated drug arrest in Lagos.
