Claim: Militants have taken over Rivers State.

Verdict: False.

Full Text
On May 16, a post on a Facebook page claims that militants have taken over Rivers State. “Militants have taken over Rivers State Government House, with 56 military personnelconfirmed dead already. The Rivers Sole Administrator has been captured by the militants”, the post reads in part.

Several pictures attached to the post show individuals in camouflage and deserted streets.
The Facebook page has 34,000 followers who are likely to view the post.

Verification

Ripples Nigeria can authoritatively report that there was no militant takeover in Rivers State.
Recall that following a prolonged political crisis in Rivers State, President Bola Tinubu in March declared a state of emergency, and appointed a sole administrator after suspending the elected governor, Siminalayi Fubara and members of the state’s House of Assembly for six months.

Findings show that the Facebook page peddling the story often propagates the agenda of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) a group in the South-East region of Nigeria fighting for self-rule.
Using image verification tools, Ripples Nigeria found that some of the images attached to the post have been online as far back as 2016. They do not depict militant takeover as claimed.

For instance, the image (frame 2) has been featured in news stories related to Niger Delta militants. Also, image (frame 4) shows a protest scene in Port Harcourt where Youth protested against the emergency rule declared on Rivers State.

Conclusion

The report that militants have taken over Rivers State is misleading.