Social media aide to President Muhammadu Buhari, Lauretta Onochie is in trouble for sharing a fake picture on Twitter on Tuesday alleging it was connected to opposition presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
Mr Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) began his campaign in Sokoto with a rally on Monday.
Following that rally, Mrs Onochie made a Twitter post showing N500 notes attached to several food packs, tagging it “KEEP THEM IN POVERTY, THEN GIVE THEM HANDOUTS- ATIKU in Sokoto yesterday.”
The picture was retweeted by over 200 users in less than 24 hours.
But Cross-check, a journalism platform that combats fake news later examined the picture with Google Reverse Image and discovered that the picture is not new.
The picture first appeared online in February 2017 when a Lagos-based charity foundation released photos from an outreach.
Angered by this falsehood, Nigerians stormed Twitter to call for Onochie’s prosecution. Others simply cautioned her alongside the ruling party.
Onochie has previously been involved in posting images misrepresenting facts.
In September, she posted a picture of a rehabilitated Nasarawa-Jos Road which was later found to be false.
Her latest act comes at the time when social media is awash with fake news with several bodies joining to fight it.
She liar#lauretta onochie/he liar#laimohammed ,u re exposed.
— Elliot akatu (@akatu_elliot) December 5, 2018
Good thing Lauretta Onochie blocked me, so I don’t get to see her tweets unless they’re in form of screenshots.
— H.O.N. (@MrNosegbe) December 5, 2018
Lauretta onochie has always been full of lies
— Nneka Torti (@nneka_torti) December 5, 2018
Keep exposing fake news & hate speech, biko…Lauretta Onochie must be exposed for who she is…con-artist.
— Mercy Attih (@AttihMercy) December 5, 2018
Lauretta Onochie, Joe Igbokwe, Lai Mohammade are the real soource of fake news on Social media. And they are all of APC.
— Gozie nwa John (@jayjayjohnsino) December 5, 2018
@vanguardngrnews@LaurettaOnochie ur choice of words shows u believe power isn’t transient. Words & posterity alwz haunt ppl & family somday.
— Darlington Chigbu (@igbodude4real77) December 5, 2018
Examples of criminal defamation, cyber stalking, terror baiting, instigating public disturbance. @PoliceNG when are you going to arrest & charge Lauretta Onochie @Laurestar to court?
cc @farooqkperogi @AriyoAristotle @dondekojo @AMADICHIMA @akaebube @MrStanleyNwabia @segalink https://t.co/1xBQUo5jc8
— #Zaddy #PapaBomBoy 🀄 💯 (@GSX2) December 5, 2018
The likes of @Laurestar, Lauretta Onochie doesn’t know there are technologies that could spot fake news/photos within minutes. If she knew that a coalition of journalists worked to debunk that garbage she put out on Monday, she wouldn’t call @MobilePunch mercenary.
— Pascal Oparada (@PascalOparada) December 5, 2018
My prayer is that Nigerians get prepared for the propaganda machines in Lai, Lauretta Onochie and others that will soon go into overdrive. We should not allow 2015 to happen again. We will be here to call them out.
— Victor Ndulewe (@ndulewe) December 5, 2018
Lauretta Onochie needs serious flogging for falsehood …
— aigbe eseiwi (@aythecreator) December 5, 2018
Lai Mohammed or Lauretta Onochie..which one is more shameless
— Carmine (@UgNnamdi_iam) December 5, 2018
