Media Police
Truth Watch is a public interest column dedicated to exposing false claims, spotlighting ethical concerns in journalism, and equipping the public with tools to navigate today’s fast-changing information landscape.
The feature is part of a wider effort to strengthen truth and accountability in media.
TOP FALSE CLAIMS OF THE WEEK
CBN TO FREEZE ALL DORMANT ACCOUNTS FROM MARCH 1, 2026
In the past week, a sharply worded message, forwarded across WhatsApp groups and amplified on Telegram and X, warned that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had secretly ordered all dormant bank accounts to be frozen from 1 March 2026. According to the viral claim, funds left untouched would be repossessed by the apex bank.
The message travelled fast, propelled by a climate already thick with economic unease. January 2026 had ushered in fresh tax adjustments and policy clarifications, and for many households’ navigating inflation and tightening liquidity, the prospect of losing hard-earned savings felt both plausible and terrifying. Fear, once introduced into the bloodstream of public discourse, rarely waits for verification.
Yet scrutiny quickly dissolves the alarm. There is no directive, none published, none circulated to commercial banks, none gazetted, ordering a blanket freeze of dormant accounts beginning 1 March 2026.
What does exist are the CBN’s guidelines on the management of dormant accounts and unclaimed Balances, first issued in 2015 and subsequently refined in later revisions. These guidelines outline procedures for identifying accounts that have been inactive for extended periods, safeguarding the funds within them, and ensuring that rightful owners retain the ability to reclaim their money. They are administrative guardrails, not instruments of confiscation.
Contrary to the viral narrative, the framework does not empower the government to seize deposits arbitrarily. Instead, it obliges financial institutions to maintain transparency, preserve records, and, in certain circumstances, publish information that may help account holders rediscover forgotten balances. The regulatory intent is custodial and protective, not punitive.
At no point in the current regulatory cycle has CBN announced a policy shift that would convert dormant savings into forfeited assets. Nigerians will not have dormant accounts seized or frozen on 1 March 2026. The claim is false.
NEW NATIONWIDE TAX ON SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE
Almost as swiftly as the dormant-account rumour receded, another spark leapt across Nigeria’s digital landscape. Posts began circulating that the federal government had approved a new nationwide tax on social media usage, complete with alarming figures — N5,000 per month to access WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms. Screenshots dressed up as policy notices moved rapidly through group chats. Voice notes warned of imminent deductions.
Yet, when the noise is separated from the record, the allegation dissolves. There is no gazetted policy, no executive order, no appropriation clause, and no national assembly enactment imposing a flat social media usage tax. Neither the federal ministry of finance nor the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) has issued a directive introducing a monthly charge for simply accessing digital platforms.
Further tracing reveals that fragments of the rumour echo the long-debated 2019 proposal popularly referred to as the “anti-social media bill,” a legislative initiative that generated intense public resistance and ultimately did not mature into enforceable taxation of platform usage.
In the present case, old anxieties were repackaged and fused with contemporary fiscal reforms to create a narrative persuasive enough to travel but unsupported by documentary evidence.
The social media tax story is therefore not an announcement but an invention. No N5,000 monthly levy exists. No nationwide access charge has been activated. As of February 2026, Nigerians remain free to use digital platforms without a specific usage tax attached to mere participation.
The alleged nationwide social media usage tax is false. What remains is a reminder that policy is announced through formal channels, debated in legislative chambers, and published in official records, not whispered through anonymous broadcasts. In the digital age, the line between regulation and rumour is often only as strong as the public’s willingness to verify before reacting.
MEDIA ETHICS SPOTLIGHT
WHY AI-GENERATED NEWS IMAGE DEMAND ETHICAL DISCIPLINE
A troubling practice is emerging within parts of the media ecosystem: the publication of AI-generated or digitally manipulated images as though they were authentic photographs of real events.
In the scramble to illustrate breaking stories — protests, disasters, insecurity — some outlets have relied on visually dramatic images without verifying origin or clearly labelling them as synthetic. In doing so, they blur the line between documentation and fabrication.
This is not a minor technical lapse; it is an ethical fault line. Journalism is anchored in verification. Images carry evidentiary weight far beyond text. A photograph does not merely describe an event — it appears to prove it. When a synthetic image is presented without disclosure, it manufactures visual “evidence,” shaping perception and amplifying emotion even if the written report itself is accurate.
International examples have already demonstrated the danger. AI-generated scenes of exaggerated destruction during protests and disasters have circulated widely before being exposed as fabrications. In some instances, such visuals briefly entered mainstream reporting streams, acquiring institutional legitimacy before corrections followed. By then, the impression had settled.
Established newsroom standards require authentication through source confirmation, metadata checks, and reverse-image searches. Where an image is illustrative or AI-created, it must be clearly labelled. Anything less undermines transparency and erodes public trust.
Artificial intelligence is a powerful tool, but it demands disciplined governance.
TOOL OF THE WEEK
REVERSE IMAGE SEARCH
In an era where artificial intelligence can generate hyper-realistic images in moments, one of the most effective safeguards against misinformation is reverse image search. Before accepting or publishing a dramatic photograph — whether depicting unrest, disaster, or political events — verification should be instinctive.
Tools such as Google Reverse Image Search, TinEye, and InVID-WeVerify allow users to trace an image’s origin and digital history.
By uploading a picture or inserting its link, one can determine where it first appeared, whether it has been recycled from an earlier event, or if it has been used in a different country or context. InVID-WeVerify also supports video analysis, enabling frame extraction and metadata checks that help expose manipulation.
Images carry persuasive power. They feel like evidence. A misleading visual can entrench false impressions long after corrections are issued. Once amplified by media platforms, its credibility multiplies.
Verification, therefore, is not merely technical diligence; it is ethical responsibility. For journalists, reverse image search should be routine practice. For citizens, it is an essential digital literacy skill. When a photograph provokes shock or outrage, pause before sharing. In the economy of truth, a moment of scrutiny is always wiser than instant reaction.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Ethics is not optional in reporting; it is the contract between the media and society.”
— Dr. Kayode Olanorin, Media Ethics Specialist
About Media Police
Media Police is a weekly public-interest column that exposes misinformation, spotlights media ethics, and equips readers with tools for digital literacy and informed media consumption.
