Quick Take: The video clip showing Femi Falana (SAN) saying he was diagnosed of prostatitis has been altered and therefore False.
Full Story
A viral video had claimsed that Falana, a prominent lawyer and activist, has been diagnosed with prostatitis, a condition that causes inflammation of the prostate gland. This assertion has sparked widespread discussion on social media, prompting concerns among his followers about his health status.
The 2mins 31secs video clip showed Falana in a studio interview giving account of himself on how he was diagnosed of the disease at the age of 50 years.
“I have been battling prostatitis for over 16 years. At the age of 50, I was diagnosed with this condition. Every day I faced pain, discomfort and constant fatigue. I had trouble urinating lower back pain and other symptoms that made it difficult to live a full life. Despite consulting the best urologist in the country, no one could offer me effective treatment, I was prescribed numerous medications, physical therapy even surgery but the problem was that these methods only temporarily relived the symptoms,” Falana said in the video.
The video was posted on Facebook by Pan-African Medical Hub on February 5, 2025. The video has generated over 4,200 impressions on Facebook.
According to the bio of the group, Pan-African Medical Hub (PAMH) is a leading medical center that brings together the best clinics, doctors, and innovative technologies to improve the healthcare system across the continent.
Verification
To effectively verify, the source of the video was first identified. This is essential to understand the credibilty of the video. It was discovered that similar videos exist online claiming popular persons have medical ailments and were cured after using certain products.
An investigation using keyword and reverse image searches showed that the clips were created by modifying the original video of Femi Falana. The original video was found to have been published by ARISE TV on October 25, 2024 during one of its primetime shows.
Upon closer inspection, the video reveals a lack of synchronisation between the sound, lip movements, and body actions. This proves that deepfake technology was used on the original videos to generate the altered footage.
Also, news report published by Sahara Reporters, Punch Newspaper and Arise News indicated that Falana has initiated legal proceedings against Facebook. This lawsuit raises significant questions about the responsibilities of social media platforms in moderating content and protecting user rights, particularly in the context of recent controversies surrounding privacy and censorship.
Conclusion
The claim that Femi Falana was diagnosed with prostatitis, as stated in the viral video, is false. There is no credible evidence to support this diagnosis, and it appears to be a misinformation attempt.
This verification has been produced with support from BO Foundation for Inclusive Media (BOFIM) and WITNESS.