[Africa Check] IN SHORT: Social media posts claim a viral video shows residents in Lagos, Nigeria, looting goods swept away by floods. But the footage was filmed in Accra, Ghana, following flooding in late June 2026.
IN SHORT: Social media posts claim a viral video shows residents in Lagos, Nigeria, looting goods swept away by floods. But the footage was filmed in Accra, Ghana, following flooding in late June 2026.
Heavy rainfall on 28 June 2026 caused widespread flooding across Lagos state in southwestern Nigeria, damaging homes, vehicles and other properties and leaving many stranded and homeless.
In this context, a video was shared on Facebook with claims that it showed people in Lagos collecting goods washed away from a warehouse by a flood.
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The video shows people standing on a bridge retrieving cartons filled with goods and other items from floodwaters.
The video is captioned, in part: "Happened in Lagos. As the rain swept items from an unknown warehouse through the gutters, some people turned the flood into a free shopping spree. The heavy rain carried provisions, toiletries, gas cylinders and electrical gadgets."
The video with similar captions was also shared here, here, here, here and here.
But did such an incident occur in Lagos state? We checked.
Incident likely in Ghana
We conducted a Google reverse image search of the video and found similar videos and photos published by Ghanaian media outlets and blogs. Some captions mentioned that the video was filmed in Ghana, indicating the incident took place in Accra, Ghana's capital, not Lagos.
Images which appear to be screenshots from the video were also posted by the account Pulse Ghana on Instagram. These images feature what appears to be a watermark of a logo made up of the letters "MCB". We traced this watermark to an Instagram post published on 29 June by a Ghanaian blogger with the Instagram handle @blogwithmcb, who hinted that the incident occurred in Ghana by captioning the video "#ghana".
The captions in the viral posts spreading in Nigeria closely mirror the original, but falsely claim the incident occurred in Lagos. The original post makes no mention of Lagos.
Accra experienced severe flooding in late June, making it likely that the footage was taken there.
Africa Check found no credible reports that such an incident occurred in Lagos. Had it happened, it would likely have been reported by local news outlets.
The claim is misleading.
| # | Наименование новости | Тональность | Информативность | Дата публикации |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deadly floods hit Ghana (VIDEOS) | -5 | 5 | 01-07-2026 |
| 2 | ‘Every time the rain falls, the fear comes back’: life in Lagos under the constant threat of floods | -3 | 7 | 11-07-2026 |
| 3 | How global heating supercharged floods in West Africa, displacing thousands | -5 | 7 | 16-07-2026 |
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| 5 | TikToker Jailed for a Year Over False Claims Against President | 0 | 5 | 17-07-2026 |
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| 7 | Ограбление подростка на 1,5 миллиона рублей около «Москва-Сити» попало на видео | 0 | 7 | 07-07-2026 |
| 8 | Российский город затопило после мощного ливня | 0 | 5 | 29-06-2026 |
| 9 | Российский город затопило | 0 | 5 | 29-06-2026 |