Fact Check: Federal Ministry Of Finance On Fire

The claim: A video shows a fire outbreak at the federal ministry of finance.

On February 23, a federal ministry of finance in the Abuja, Nigeria balcony was isolated with battery. Now, social media users are sharing a video they claim the building was set on fire to loot money.

Reads the caption of a February 23 Twitter post, which features a photo of a burning building. 

“BREAKING: Federal Ministry of Finance building reportedly on fire….Each time they loot money or steal money they set the building ablaze, this is what they have been doing for years now, we know they have stolen another money.
Nigeria is a failure.”

Thousands of Nigerians on social media have similar claims.

While the video shows a genuine fire, the building in flames was not set ablaze by anyone to loot money.

Video shows fire in Ministry of finance

Punch News published the news Twitter on February 23 says firefighters had arrived at the scene to extinguish the fire.

The AIT reported the clean-up after a fire outbreak at the Federal Ministry of Finance Abuja.

The ministry of finance official handle reported it started “The Federal Ministry of Finance HQ is not on fire as reported on social media. Rather, there was an incident on the corridor in the basement involving an isolated battery Pack (photo inset). It was quickly put out by the security personnel on duty.”

Our rating: False

Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that a photo shows a fire at the ministry of finance. The fire broke out in the corridor in the basement involving an isolated battery Pack. There’s no evidence it was done by a politician to loot money.