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| - AN X user, @MilesHopkins15, has shared an image depicting the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’adu Abubakar III, wearing a traditional charm garment.
The claimant posted the image with a caption thus:
“It’s never too late. It would be better for the Sultan of Sokoto to embrace Isese—the only and absolute way of life. L’ogun ofe o.”
As of February 7, 2025, the post has garnered over 157,000 views, with more than 300 reposts plus over 100 comments and more than 1,500 likes.
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The Sultan of Sokoto, a key figure in the Sokoto Caliphate and First-Class traditional ruler in northern Nigeria, is also regarded as the spiritual leader of Nigerian Muslims.
Any image of him appearing in such charm garment commonly known as “Aso Ogun” or “Ewu-Etu” among the Yorubas is likely to be misconstrued that he has converted or joined the African traditional worshippers.
CLAIM
Image shows the Sultan of Sokoto wearing a charm garment.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub revealed that the image has been digitally altered, and thus MISLEADING.
His Eminence, Muhammadu Sa’adu Abubakar, is the spiritual leader of Nigerian Muslims and the 20th Sultan of Sokoto. As Sultan of Sokoto, he is the head of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs in Nigeria (SCIAN) and oversees key Islamic affairs, including the coordination of seasonal rites such as Ramadan (fasting) and the Eid celebrations.
Upon closer examination, our fact-checker identified inconsistencies in the image, particularly in the alignment of the head and body. This raised suspicion, prompting him to conduct a Google reverse image search. The search yielded no results aside the X post by the claimant.
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However, to further verify the authenticity of the image, our fact-checker conducted a split-key frame analysis—separating the headshot from the body in the doctored image.
The analysis revealed that the photo of a person wearing the charm garment has been previously published online and it is at least 10 years old. Additionally, the original image from which the Sultan’s head was taken was found in a report published by Channels TV.
THE VERDICT
The image showing the Sultan of Sokoto wearing a charm garment is MISLEADING; the image has been doctored.
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