Kebbi Govt Says Man in Viral Ramadan Palliative Video Is Mentally Ill

The Kebbi State Government has said that the man featured in a viral video complaining about the state’s Ramadan palliative distribution is mentally ill and was allegedly manipulated to spread misinformation.

The video, which circulated widely on social media, showed a man identified as Abduljalal Usman claiming that he received only one mudu of rice and one mudu of maize as Ramadan palliatives distributed to staff of the Dandi Local Government Education Authority.

Reacting to the development, the state government described the claims in the video as misleading and politically motivated. The Special Adviser on Communication and Strategy to Governor Nasir Idris, Abdullahi Idris, said preliminary findings indicated that the individual in the video is a psychiatric patient who was allegedly used by some political actors to discredit the government’s Ramadan support programme.

According to the government, the palliative items procured for distribution were rice and millet, not maize as stated in the viral clip. It also explained that the palliatives meant for Dandi Local Government Area had not yet arrived at the council headquarters at the time the video was recorded.

The government maintained that the Ramadan intervention programme was designed to support residents during the fasting period and had been widely welcomed across the state.

It urged members of the public to verify information before sharing content online, warning that the spread of unverified claims could mislead the public and undermine government efforts aimed at assisting vulnerable residents.