CLAIM: A Twitter user on Tuesday, claimed that MTN office in Apapa, Lagos State was set ablaze.
CONCLUSION: The claim is FALSE. MTN office was not set ablaze in Lagos.
FULL TEXT: Following the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians living in South Africa, A twitter user at the early hour of Tuesday claimed that Nigerians in a retaliatory mode went ahead to set the Apapa office of the MTN ablaze. The tweet with an accompanying picture of a burning MTN office read in full:
“Angry Nigerians burn down MTN office in Apapa ….. Happening right now!!! #SayNotoXenophobia.”
The tweet which gathered hundreds of retweets and likes was later brought down by Twitter with the account of the user suspended.
1stnews, WithinNigeria, lailasnews and some other Nigerian blogs also published the story with the picture to claim that some angry people have stormed the MTN office in Apapa to set it ablaze.
Also, the story was seen published on a popular Nigerian blog Lindaikejisblog, referencing the Twitter user and with a screenshot of the tweet.
Meanwhile, Tribune Online findings revealed that there was no attack of such on any MTN office in Apapa nor on any of their offices in Nigeria. It was also gathered the accompanying picture with the claim could only be traced to an incidence of a fire incident that occurred on the Tanke branch of the MTN office in Ilorin in March, 2015.
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CONCLUSION: The picture is only a TRUE picture of when fire gutted the Tanke branch of the MTN office in Ilorin nonetheless, the claim is FALSE because there was no recent attack on any MTN office in Apapa, as claimed.
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