Seven thousand two hundred and twenty-two human penises shipped from Nigeria in a refrigerated container were ‘intercepted’ in China, according to an unconfirmed report on social media and blogs in Nigeria.

Social media monitoring tool CrowdTangle showed that the article was first published by World News Daily Report on March 19, 2021.

Checks showed that WND, where the story originated is a satirical website and attacked a disclaimer, stating that  it assumes “all responsibility for the satirical nature of its articles and for the fictional nature of their content.”

Further checks by PUNCH revealed that the picture accompanying the article was first published in 2016 by Shipping Watch.

The report, which has gone viral on WhatsApp, Facebook Instagram, as well as Twitter, was also reposted by blogs in Nigeria, Malawi, Uganda, Kenya, Ghana, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, who is one of those who shared it, tweeted, “A ship from Nigeria has been impounded in China whilst trying to smuggle in 7,200 penises.

“Hundreds of thousands of Nigerian penises are smuggled into China every year. Nigeria is the world’s largest exporter of penises and this is why kidnapping and ritual killings are rife here.

“What do the Chinese do with these penises and why are they obsessed with Nigerian ones in particular? This is not a joke but a serious question.

“The Chinese should leave our penises alone and those that procure them for them in Nigeria should be regarded as terrorists and eliminated.”

VERDICT:

The report is FALSE.