Fact Check: Video of Gov. Ayade crying is old, not related to COVID-19 palliatives loot

Claim

A video of Cross River State Ben Ayade crying has been trending on social media with the narrative that he was crying over looted palliatives in the state.

Verdict

The video which shows Governor Ben Ayade crying is not connected to looted palliatives in the state.

Full Text

As looting of warehouses for palliatives and food items swept across the country, a video of Cross River State Governor, Ben Ayade crying during a news conference went viral on social media.

Several Twitter accounts including @Instablog9ja with over 300, 000 thousand followers and @AkpraiseMedia with over 323, 000 thousand followers shared a Channels TV video of Governor Ayade crying during a press conference with the narrative that it was over looted palliatives in the state.

“The moment Cross River State Governor, Ben Ayade broke down in tears on National TV. Remember Covid-19 palliatives were discovered in a warehouse in Calabar yesterday,” @Instablog9ja wrote in a tweet that has over 400 retweets and 195 replies.

“A video of Cross River State governor, Ben Ayade trending on social media after Covid-19 palliatives were discovered in Calabar,” @AkpraiseMedia wrote in a tweet that garnered more than 4,000 retweets and more than 2,000 replies.

Verification

An image search from a screenshot of the video revealed that the video was recorded during a news conference in May 2020.

“Ayade Weeps Over Extreme Poverty in C/River, Grants Low Income Earners Tax Exemption,” Channels TV titled the original video which was published on their Youtube page on Thursday, May 21, 2020.

In the video, Ayade was moved to tears while talking about the level of poverty in Cross River State.

“I really wish I can help,” he had said amidst tears.