Yes, the video circulating on social media depicting the North Eastern Resident Minister Mr Abu Abu Koroma saying that he chose to not build in Makeni because Temne people are uncivilized is true.

SLAJ iVerify has verified a video of a speech that the North Eastern Resident Minister, Mr Abu Abu Koroma, recently made in Bo District and concludes that it is true. “Ar nor choose for build na Makeni bikos Temne man nor civilize,” (I chose to not build in Makeni because the Temne people are uncivilized) Mr Koroma said in his speech.

To arrive at this conclusion, the SLAJ iVerify Network of Fact-Checking Desks conducted the following steps:

Firstly, we used the InVid software to verify the video’s authenticity, confirming its accuracy.

Secondly, we contacted a credible journalist in Bo who confirmed the authenticity and accuracy of the video but pleaded anonymity for fear of being hunted.

Furthermore, during our verification, the video was filmed at the Bo Hills Guest House situated on Towama Road, Bo District. In context, according to our methodology, Mr Koroma’s statement falls under the category of hate speech (tribal bigotry), and toxic language.

To achieve balance, we tried to contact Mr Abu Abu Koroma on multiple occasions, but he refused to talk to us.