Claim: The claim made by NÄDÏS on September 5, 2023, about Cameroon- native doctor mistakenly making his client’s (‘pastor’) picture go viral is misleading.
Verdict: Misleading. The photo went viral in November last year of a man cheating with a pregnant woman in Zambia.
The social media post stated that the picture of the supposed pastor went viral on social media after a native doctor mistakenly sent his picture to someone else of his contacts which was intended for another client pastor seeking “powers from him”. The post had 34 likes, 35 comments and 45 shares.
Factchecking Process
To fact-check this social media post, I used Google reverse image search. This is a tool that allows users to find the original source of an image by uploading it or pasting its URL into Google’s search engine. By doing this, I was able to check the image’s origin, context, and date, and see if they matched the story. I found out that the image was taken out of context and used for a misleading narrative. The image actually went viral in November 2022, according to some reports. I decided to do this fact-check because I noticed very conflicting views in the comments section of the post.
Fact checking religious stories is important in a society, especially those that hold the church and religious leaders in high esteem like Cameroon. It can help prevent the spread of false or misleading information that can harm people’s faith, values, or actions. Religious stories can have a powerful influence on people’s beliefs and behaviours, but they can also be used to manipulate, deceive, or incite violence. By fact checking religious stories, people can verify the sources, evidence, and accuracy of the information they receive and make informed decisions based on facts rather than rumours or propaganda.
However, our investigation found that the picture in question is actually a collage of two images. One image shows a man in a black and white suit behind a pulpit, while the other is a screenshot of a video in which a married pregnant woman is caught cheating on her husband in their matrimonial bed. The video was shared on Twitter in November 2022 and caused an uproar on social media platforms. In the video, the man who caught his naked wife having sex with the ‘pastor’ who was also naked can be seen sharing fetish items such as calabash, gourd, red and black material, burning candles, and what looks like a pot in the centre of the room. The woman could be seen crying while the ‘pastor’ struggled to wear his boxer to cover his nakedness.
Findings
On November 17, 2022, NWA IGBO Agbalanze, a Facebook page, published the same picture with the caption “Una Daddy G.O Man of God in the day Agbalanze please stop talking about men of God”. OluSeyi shared a video on Twitter on the same day, which was recorded by the cheated husband. The video was captioned “Husband caught pregnant wife having it raw with her pastor on his matrimonial bed. Do you think the man should forgive her and move on??”. Voiceofnaijang took to Instagram on the same day to share Nigerians’ reactions to the issue. However, an online media source in Zambia called Zambia Today posted on Facebook on November 19, 2022, stating that the identity of the man in question is not a pastor but rather a native doctor. The picture of him behind the pulpit was taken at a wedding ceremony he attended in 2019.
Facts About The Post
According to reports, the incident occurred in Zambia. In the viral clip, a pregnant woman identified as Martha could be seen stark naked, while the ‘pastor’, who reportedly hails from Congo, quickly wore his shorts upon seeing the lady’s husband with the camera. A report from Zambia Online suggests that the trending video, in which Martha was caught red-handed with another man, was actually a ritual for safe delivery.
Our investigation found no evidence to support the claim that the native doctor mistakenly made his client’s (‘pastor’) picture go viral by sharing it with someone else. Therefore, we rate this news brief as fake news.
