ABUJA, NIGERIA — The Presidency has dismissed reports that President Bola Tinubu’s convoy came under attack by youths in Abuja, describing videos circulating on social media as misleading and presenting alternative footage showing the President being cheered after attending Friday prayers.
The controversy followed Tinubu’s visit to the Shehu Shagari Central Mosque in Area 1, Abuja, on Friday, November 13, where he observed the Juma’at prayer before departing with his security detail.
Reports of an alleged attack emerged after former Kogi West Senator and African Democratic Congress chieftain, Dino Melaye, shared a video showing youths throwing objects at a convoy believed to belong to the President. Some individuals in the footage were also heard chanting, “Ba ma yi, ba ma so,” a Hausa expression translated as “we do not want you; we do not support you.”
The video quickly attracted attention online, generating debate over the circumstances surrounding the President’s movement and the level of public hostility towards his administration.
However, O’tega Ogra, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Digital Engagement, Strategy and New Media, rejected the suggestion that Tinubu was attacked during his departure from the mosque.
In a post on his X account, Ogra shared a separate video showing the President leaving the mosque after prayers. The footage captured Tinubu dressed in a white outfit and a black cap, acknowledging people gathered around him as he approached his official vehicle.
Several youths were seen waving, cheering and taking photographs of the President with their mobile phones. Tinubu also waved towards the crowd before entering his vehicle.
Ogra argued that the footage contradicted the account being circulated by opposition figures. He described the videos used to support the attack narrative as misleading and alleged that opposition elements were promoting footage involving paid thugs.
The competing videos have, however, not conclusively established every detail of what happened along the President’s route. While the chanting and hostile reception have been reported by multiple media organisations, the claim that stones struck the presidential convoy has not been independently established by the available evidence.
A fact-check published after the incident also noted that there was no independently verified evidence showing that Tinubu was personally hit by a stone or injured. The distinction is important because footage of objects being thrown towards vehicles does not, by itself, establish that the President was physically attacked.
The incident has nevertheless drawn attention to the political atmosphere in the country as preparations gradually gather momentum ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a statement personally signed on Friday, Tinubu warned politicians and their supporters against violence, intimidation and other activities capable of undermining the democratic process.
The President condemned reported incidents of violence at political gatherings across the country and urged political actors to conduct their activities peacefully. He also said security agencies had been empowered to deal decisively with thuggery and other anti-democratic conduct.
Tinubu maintained that political campaigns should focus on policies and programmes capable of improving the welfare of Nigerians and promoting national development rather than confrontation and violence.
The timing of the Abuja controversy has added to concerns about the possibility of political tensions escalating as parties prepare for the next election cycle. The incident also highlights the growing influence of social media videos in shaping public perceptions of political events, particularly when competing accounts emerge before all the facts are established.
Although the Presidency has rejected the claim that the President’s convoy was attacked, questions remain about the precise circumstances surrounding the footage shared online. Independent verification of the location, timing and sequence of events would be necessary to establish whether the clips captured the same moment or different points along the President’s route.
For now, the Presidency’s position is that Tinubu departed the mosque without being attacked, while reports of hostile chants and alleged stone-throwing remain subjects of public dispute.
