TheCable Fact Check
  • Home
  • Fact Check
  • Fake News
  • Check Am For Wazobia
Reading: FACT CHECK: These images are not from Zamfara gold-mining sites
Share
Latest News
FACT CHECK: Did Ibrahim Traore cancel Burna Boy’s proposed Burkina Faso concert?
CableCheck wins IFCN global fact check fund
Íhé ńgósị́ ébé Peter Obi sékpù àlà n’íhú Tinubu bụ̀ ǹkè é jìrì AI nwóghàrị̀á
Hoton Peter Obi ya durkusa ma Tinubu a Rome na hadi ne
Foto wey show as Peter Obi dey kneel down for Tinubu inside Vatican na photoshop
Peter Obi kò kúnlẹ̀ fún Tinubu ní Rome
FACT CHECK: No, Abia government didn’t block arrest of 59 youths by EFCC
Video wey show ‘bandits’ wit bundles of moni no be from Nigeria
Advertisement
Aa
TheCable Fact CheckTheCable Fact Check
Search
  • Home
  • Fact Check
  • Fake News
  • Check Am For Wazobia
Follow US

FACT CHECK: These images are not from Zamfara gold-mining sites

Ayodele Oluwafemi
By Ayodele Oluwafemi Published February 21, 2022 4 Min Read
Share

Recently, some pictures circulated on the messaging platform — WhatsApp — were said to have emanated from gold mining sites in Zamfara state.

The pictures were posted to drive the narrative that the killings in Zamfara were majorly a result of the gold mining activities in the state.

The WhatsApp post accompanying the images also claimed that “too many high ranking government officials are involved” in gold-mining activities in Zamfara.

“In case you’re wondering why the killings in Zamfara are unending and escalating, the next picture should give you an idea,” the post reads.

“It is simple, resource control! Zamfara has one of the purest gold deposits in Africa. Too many high ranking government officials are involved. This is a valid conspiracy theory.”

The WhatsApp post circulated alongside the pictures

A little background: Zamfara is one of the states in the federation with deposits of gold. Over the years, the gold deposit in the state has stirred controversies on two major fonts — illegal mining and resource control.

On illegal mining, the federal and state governments, on several occasions, have attributed the rising banditry in Zamfara to the activities of illegal gold miners in the state.

BUT ARE THESE PICTURES FROM ZAMFARA GOLD MINING SITES?

To verify the pictures claimed to be from Zamfara gold mining sites, TheCable subjected the images to reverse image search on multiple search engines.

TheCable found out that the pictures alongside the claim have been circulated on social media since 2019 — a development that shows the post is being recycled. See here.

IMAGE 1

The earliest version of this image seen on the internet was published by Reuters on February 23, 2009. The international news platform said the image shows gold miners digging an open pit at the Chudja mine in the Kilomoto concession near the village of Kobu in the north-eastern part of Congo, a Central African country.

IMAGE 2

On February 23, 2011, an online magazine — The Velvet Magazine — in a post titled “Photos Of The Day: Gold Mining in Myanmar/Burma”, published the above image. The platform said the image shows dozens of Burmese miners working 30 miles from the town of Myitkyina in Myanmar. Another news platform, in a report published on April 25, 2015, attributed the picture to mining activities in Myanmar.

IMAGE 3

This image has been used in several posts on the internet to represent gold pieces. The image was first curated by TinEye, an image search engine, on May 16, 2013. There was no comment on where the image was taken. Social media posts started attributing the image to Zamfara in 2019.

VERDICT

These pictures of gold-mining sites attributed to Zamfara state on social media platforms are false. The pictures are events of gold-mining activities in other parts of the world like Congo and Myanmar.

TAGGED: Fact Check, fake news, Gold, Gold mining sites, zamfara

Please send your feedback, claims to fact check and corrections requests to [email protected]

Ayodele Oluwafemi February 21, 2022 February 21, 2022
Share this Article
Facebook Twitter Email Copy Link Print
Leave a comment Leave a comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

POPULAR POSTS

Advertisement

FACT CHECK: Did Ibrahim Traore cancel Burna Boy’s proposed Burkina Faso concert?

There are reports that Ibrahim Traore, Burkina Faso’s military leader, has cancelled Afrofusion star Burna…

June 3, 2025

CableCheck wins IFCN global fact check fund

CableCheck, the fact-checking initiative of the Cable Newspaper Journalism Foundation (CNJF), has been awarded the…

May 30, 2025

Íhé ńgósị́ ébé Peter Obi sékpù àlà n’íhú Tinubu bụ̀ ǹkè é jìrì AI nwóghàrị̀á

Ótù ihe ngosị nke a na-ekesa na soshal midia na-egosị ebe Peter Obi, onye jiri…

May 24, 2025

Hoton Peter Obi ya durkusa ma Tinubu a Rome na hadi ne

Wani hoton da ya yi zagayen a shafukan sada zumunta ya nuna Peter Obi, dan…

May 24, 2025
Advertisement
Advertisement

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

FACT CHECK: Did Ibrahim Traore cancel Burna Boy’s proposed Burkina Faso concert?

There are reports that Ibrahim Traore, Burkina Faso’s military leader, has cancelled Afrofusion star Burna Boy's free concert in the…

Fact Check
June 3, 2025

CableCheck wins IFCN global fact check fund

CableCheck, the fact-checking initiative of the Cable Newspaper Journalism Foundation (CNJF), has been awarded the BUILD 2025 grant by the…

Fact CheckTop Stories
May 30, 2025

FACT CHECK: No, Abia government didn’t block arrest of 59 youths by EFCC

A Facebook user has claimed that the Abia government blocked officers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from…

Fact Check
May 24, 2025

FACT CHECK: Viral image of Peter Obi kneeling before Tinubu in Rome photoshopped

An image making the round on social media depicts Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in 2023,…

Fact Check
May 22, 2025

CableCheck seeks to provide reliable tools and resources for readers to tackle the menace of fake and misleading materials constantly pushed into the public space from various sources. We monitor the accuracy of claims made in traditional and social media. We also provide a tracker to hold politicians and policymakers accountable for the plans and promises they make to the public. CableCheck is a project of the Cable Newspaper Journalism Foundation (CNJF), supported by the MacArthur Foundation and implemented by TheCable newspaper.

Follow US: 

LINKS

  • Contact
  • About Us
  • Non-Partisanship Policy
  • Funding
  • Correction Policy
© Copyright TheCable. All Rights reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?