Claim: A Facebook user, D English Alhaji, claimed that a large group of bandits had stolen cows from the Mashegu axis of Niger State and shared two images purportedly showing the movement.
Verdict: Misleading. An NSCDC update noted that there was suspected bandit activity in Magama LGA, not Mashegu as claimed. Also, the two images shared with the security alert are recycled photographs and are not linked to the reported incident.
Full Text
On Aug. 31, 2026, Facebook user D English Alhaji shared a security alert claiming that a large group of bandits was returning to Zamfara State with stolen livestock from the Mashegu axis of Niger State.
The post (archived here) stated that the first group had reached Atabo town along the Kontagora–Rijau highway, while a second group was reportedly trailing behind.
“SECURITY ALERT. A large group of bandits is reportedly returning to Zamfara State with stolen livestock from the Mashegu axis of Niger State. The first group is currently in Atabo town on the Kontagora-Rijau highway, with a second group trailing behind,” the post read.
It advised residents and motorists to avoid the Kontagora–Rijau highway “by all means.”
The user attached two photographs. One showed several masked armed men wearing dark clothing riding motorcycles along a dusty road, while the second showed a man in military-style camouflage holding a firearm and standing beside a herd of cattle.
As of Sept. 1, 2026, the post had attracted about 9,300 likes, 1,100 comments and 886 shares.
The alert generated reactions from users concerned about the security situation. Adeola Emmanuel, for instance, asked, “Where is the Nigeria Air Force fighter jet to dislodge them from the sky, but they are nowhere to be found na WA ooo.”
Another commenter, Kenneth Uzoezie, linked the situation to the country’s political and economic challenges, while Cintt Chepngetich, commenting from Kenya, queried the existence of the Nigerian Air Force.
DUBAWA also found that several Facebook users had reshared the security alert, including here, here and here.
Because of the claim’s sensitivity and its ability to cause panic amongst residents, DUBAWA investigated the images and narrative in the post.
Verification
DUBAWA broke the video into key frames and conducted reverse-image searches using Google Lens to determine whether the photographs shared by the Facebook user were recent. The searches returned earlier versions of both images, showing that neither was originally published in connection with the Aug. 31, 2026 alert.
The first image, showing masked armed men carrying guns and riding motorcycles along a dusty road, was found in a Facebook post by the Solomon Dalung Foundation published on June 5, 2026. Other earlier online appearances of the same photograph were also found (here, here and here), confirming that the image had circulated before the Facebook post by D English Alhaji.
A reverse-image search of the second photograph produced an earlier publication by PRNigeria on July 1, 2026, in a report titled “Troops Recover Stolen Livestock After Fierce Gun Battle with Bandits in Katsina.” The photograph shows a man in military camouflage carrying a firearm alongside cattle and was therefore also online before the August 31 security alert.
To determine whether the claim itself was based on a real security situation, DUBAWA contacted the Niger State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). Its spokesperson, DSC Abubakar Muti, provided an Aug. 31, 2026 security update reporting suspected bandit activity in Magama Local Government Area, not Mashegu as claimed.
The NSCDC update said suspected armed bandits had indeed stolen cattle from the Atabo area of Magama LGA and were reportedly unable to move out of the area due to the presence of security personnel at possible exit routes.
It also reported sighting a large group of suspected armed persons operating with motorcycles around Rima Village. The update, however, did not place the reported activity in Mashegu, as claimed in the Facebook post.
While the NSCDC account provides evidence of suspected bandit activity in parts of Magama on the same date, it does not establish that the two photographs shared by D English Alhaji were taken during those incidents.
Conclusion
The claim is misleading. The two photographs shared with the Facebook claim were recycled and had appeared online before this time, in contexts unrelated to the alleged movement of bandits from the Mashegu axis to Zamfara.
However, this does not rule out the presence of suspected bandits. An NSCDC security update from the same date only confirmed suspected bandit activity in Magama LGA, including Atabo, Yangalu and Rima, but not in Mashegu.
This fellowship is implemented by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) with support from the European Union.