Naira Marley’s House On Fire? – Fact Emerge As Videos Go Viral
There are claims circulating on social media since mid-September 2023 suggesting that an angry mob set Nigerian musician Naira Marley’s house in Lagos on fire after the funeral of fellow musician Mohbad.
This claim is supported by two different videos. One displays a house engulfed in flames during the night, while the other offers an aerial view in daylight of a fire on the roof of a house, with firefighters working to extinguish it.
Mohbad, whose real name was Ilerioluwa Aloba, passed away suddenly on 12 September. He had signed with Marley’s Marlian Music in 2019 but left the label in late 2022 amid a dispute, which included an accusation that Marley had ordered his assault.
Throughout 2022, Mohbad had posted on social media that if he were to die, Marley should be held responsible.
Following Mohbad’s death, rumors began circulating on social media, with reports of people taking to the streets to demand an investigation. Africa Check has already debunked one claim suggesting that a video shows Nigeria’s state services department arresting Marley in connection with Mohbad’s death.
In a tribute to Mohbad, Marley called for a “thorough investigation” into his death. Mohbad was initially buried on 13 September, but his body was later exhumed for an autopsy.
The claim that Marley’s house was set on fire can also be seen here, here, here and here.
But what do the two videos really show?
Africa Check conducted a reverse image search on frames from the videos. The video showing the house burning at night was actually filmed in Chicago, a city in the US state of Illinois, in March.
Several news reports, along with the video, confirm that the house caught fire on the night of 6 March and was completely destroyed. The video is also available on YouTube, uploaded on 7 March.
The second video, depicting a fire on the roof of a house, is indeed from Nigeria.
However, it was first circulated online in early August, over a month before Mohbad’s passing. On social media, captions to the video identify the burning house as belonging to actor and comedian Ayo Makun, popularly known as AY. It was reported that one of AY’s houses in Lagos was engulfed in flames on 6 August. At that time, the comedian was in the US.
In summary, neither of the two videos shows musician Naira Marley’s house on fire in September after Mohbad’s death.
