By ENITAN ABEL JOHNGOLD ORHERUATA, mnipr
A well-known Niger Delta peace advocate and climate activist has issued a firm public disclaimer after an old photograph of him resurfaced online with a false claim portraying him as Mohammed Yusuf, the late leader of the Boko Haram sect.
The activist—whose colourful Urhobo cultural dance at the COP30 Climate Summit in Belem, Brazil, recently went viral with over 140,000 views on Instagram—said he was shocked to see the false narrative trend again just days after the video gained global attention.
According to him, the trending picture, taken in 2008 at the World of Life Bible Church (WLBC) in Warri, captured him alongside His Royal Highness Mujahid Dokubo-Asari and former CAN President Papa Ayo Oritsejafor during a peace advocacy visit. At the time, he was President of the Niger Delta Christian Youth Movement (NDCYMN) and spokesperson of the Niger Delta People’s Salvation Front (NDPSF), championing social justice and conflict resolution in the region.
However, he said online commentators have repeatedly—and falsely—circulated the image, claiming he was Boko Haram’s founding leader. He traced the origin of the misinformation to an October 2014 post by public commentator Kayode Ogundamisi, which has resurfaced every few years for more than a decade.
“This false label has trended for eleven years,” he said. “I have maintained restraint, in line with my principles of Kingian Nonviolence and peacebuilding, but it has become necessary to set the record straight.”
He has now given all individuals and platforms involved in amplifying the misinformation—including Kayode Ogundamisi, Tunde Ednut, Oris Oriyomi, Abu Jafar, Bello Isiaka, Wada M. Wali, Zainab Oyinkansola Abdulkarim, The Reliant News, Paul Okoye, Chukwuemeka Nwabunike, Chapton Festus and others—a seven-day ultimatum from Sunday, November 30, 2025, to retract the claims and tender a public apology.
He warned that from Monday, December 8, 2025, he will commence legal and other legitimate actions against anyone who continues to share or endorse the defamatory narrative.
“I am not a terrorist. I have never been a member of any terrorist organization,” he said firmly. “This misinformation has caused serious distress to me and my family, and we will no longer tolerate it.”
He noted that his peacebuilding contributions are well documented, including his work with the Dr. Allen Onyema Foundation for Ethnic Harmony in Nigeria (FEHN) as a trainer in the Federal Government’s Disarmament, Demobilization, Rehabilitation, and Reintegration (DDRR) Amnesty Programme.
While stressing that he prefers reconciliation to conflict, he said the recurring falsehood must be decisively addressed.
He thanked those who drew his attention to the viral narrative and urged members of the public to share the names of anyone involved in spreading the “satanic claim.”
“I remain an Activist, Civicist, Pan-Africanist, Climate Actionist and Self-Determinationist committed to the greater good of humanity,” he said. “I am not a terrorist.”