No, this photo does not show clashes between Igbo and Yoruba groups in Nigeria

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An image shared by thousands of people on Facebook claims to show members of two of Nigeria’s biggest ethnic groups involved in clashes in Lagos. This is false: the photo was taken in South Africa in February 2017, when violent anti-immigrant protests broke out in the capital Pretoria.

The picture posted by Joshua Ikechukwu Udume has been shared more than 5,700 times since February 25, with the caption: “HAPPENING NOW!!! Yoruba people led by MC Oluomo are burning Igbos properties and barred Igbos not to open their shops now in Lagos, both in Oshodi, Okota, Aguda, Oduade and environs. Make sure this go VIRAL!!!”

Screenshot taken on March 4, 2019 showing a post claiming there was a Yoruba-Igbo ethnic clash in Lagos on Monday Feb 25, 2019

MC Oluomo is the nickname of Musiliu Akinsanya, one of the leaders of Nigeria's National Union of Transport Workers.

On February 23, during Nigeria's presidential election, there was indeed an outbreak of violence in the central Lagos districts of Okota, Oshodi and Isolo. The violence was widely reported by local and foreign media and acknowledged by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman, Mahmood Yakubu.

But the violence was not an ethnic clash between Yoruba and Igbo groups but between supporters of the major parties involved in the election -- and it was on February 23, not February 25.

A reverse image search shows the photo was first posted by South African news website News24 on February 24, 2017 during protests in Atteridgeville, a township to the west of South Africa’s capital, Pretoria.

We were able to confirm the location of the photo via Google Maps. Look closely at the photo tweeted by News24 and you’ll see several features that can also be spotted in Google Maps Street View on Seeiso Street, Atteridgeville, South Africa: the bridge and electricity pylon in the background, the two triangular traffic signs. You can also still see the red Shell sign hanging next to the gas station on the left.

A screenshot taken on March 4, 2019 shows an edited version of the News24 tweet
A screenshot of a Google Maps image taken on March 4, 2019 shows features recognisable in the false Facebook post

From a different angle, it's possible to match up the bus stop on the right, and the same traffic markings on the road -- confirming that this image was indeed taken on Seeiso Street, Atteridgeville, South Africa.

A screenshot taken on March 4, 2019 shows an edited version of the News24 tweet
A screenshot of a Google Maps image taken on March 4, 2019 shows features recognisable in the false Facebook post

The protest was part of a wave of unrest in South Africa over immigration from other African countries. Many unemployed South Africans accuse migrants of taking their jobs, and others blame them for high crime rates.

In Nigeria, the Igbo represent the majority in the southeast, while Yoruba dominate Lagos, the country’s commercial nerve centre.

In 2000, fierce clashes broke out between the two ethnic groups in Lagos, leaving dozens of people dead. Since then, relations between the two have been largely peaceful in the city.

Nigeria has more than 250 ethnic groups, with the Hausa Fulani, Yoruba and Igbo making over 60 percent of the country’s population, according to US embassy estimates.

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