Viral video of school girl smoking cannabis from Zimbabwe, not Nigeria – Police clarify

The Nigerian Police Force has clarified that a trending video featuring school girls smoking Indian hemp (cannabis), which was said to have occurred in Nigeria, actually took place in Zimbabwe.

In a statement released this morning, Force spokesperson ACP Muyiwa Adejobi urged the public to exercise caution when sharing unverified information.

“The attention of the Nigeria Police Force has been drawn to a deeply concerning video currently circulating on WhatsApp and other social media platforms, depicting a school-aged girl smoking what appears to be cannabis, surrounded and cheered on by her classmates.

The video has been widely shared with captions suggesting the incident occurred within a Nigerian school, prompting significant concern and anxiety amongst Nigerian parents and the wider community.

However, a preliminary investigation into its origin strongly suggests that the video did not originate in Nigeria, with multiple indicators pointing towards the video’s likely origin being in Zimbabwe.

The evidence supporting this conclusion includes the language spoken within the video.

Individuals featured are heard speaking in both English and Shona, the latter being a language predominantly spoken in Zimbabwe and parts of southern Africa.

Critically, no Nigerian languages or discernable Nigerian accents are present in the audio.”

Adejobi mentioned that the original video upload included a caption in Shona and was first posted on the Instagram channel @rusape_celebs_tv, which is clearly based in Rusape, Zimbabwe.

He urged the public to be cautious about sharing unverified information, especially when it involves sensitive content that could negatively affect individuals, organizations, and entire communities.

“The Force strongly encourages responsible sharing of information and thorough verification of sources before amplifying potentially harmful claims.” he said