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Claim: An X user shared a video showing individuals carrying bags from a helicopter in a deserted area, claiming that is how Boko Haram receives arms and ammunition from bandits in a Nigeria forest.
Verdict: Misleading! Findings show that the video dates back to 2021 and is about a routine supply mission on Dec. 4, 2021, in Chinko, Central African Republic, not Nigeria.
Full Text
In the last decade, Nigeria has continued to face attacks from Boko Haram, particularly in the north, which has put the region in a situation of unrest. This situation is evident in the numerous Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps located in the northern region.
An X user (@MoonstarChukwu1) posted a video showing individuals swiftly packing loaded bags from a landed helicopter in a deserted area.
The video caption reads, “In case you have been wondering how the Boko Haram gets their arms and ammunition, wonder no more.”
As of Wednesday, July 3, 2024, the two-minute, fifty-second video had amassed about 517,000 views, 4,436 likes, 3,723 reposts, 1,543 bookmarks, and 218 quotes.
In the comment section, some users believed the video to be fake, while others suggested the helicopter was tracked down.
“Nigerians and fake news” @enebome asserted.
Another application user, Manlike_Ace, stated, “Making such an ambiguous statement without context, clarity or anything like proof rather makes you seem like (a)conspiracy theorist.”
Reacting to the video, @akpataku_ty said, “Can’t this helicopter be tracked? (I) am beginning to ponder on the sales of those two helicopters by the aviation ministry to individuals…”
Due to the sensitivity and audience engagement in the post, DUBAWA decided to investigate its veracity.
Verification
DUBAWA subjected the video screenshot to a Google Reverse Image Search, and we discovered that the video had existed since 2021.
Also, we came across a similar Facebook video posted on Dec. 10, 2021, by Tauraruwa Hausa News. The caption in translation reads, “Look at how the airplane that lands the terrorists brings oil inside the jets.” Another similar video copy was posted here on the same date.
DUBAWA conducted a keyword search and found a 2021 report by Africa Parks–a non-profit conservation organisation. It clarified the video as a routine resupply mission on Dec. 4, 2021, in Chinko, Central African Republic. The organisation manages this operation with the CAR Government. The helicopter in the video was transporting Chinko’s transhumance sensitisation teams and their supplies in the field.
It further said that the sensitisation teams are unarmed, clearly marked, and recruited from the local community to provide culturally sensitive and peaceful engagement with cattle herders that ensure the long-term sustainability of the landscape.
DUBAWA also came across a 2021 report by Punch newspaper. In the report, the Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, debunked the claim as false, stressing there is no helicopter supplying arms to bandits in any part of the northern zone.
Using a keyword search, we found a fact-check report by PRNIGERIA, published on Dec. 10, 2021, debunking the video as false and misleading. The report mentioned that the dialect spoken in the video is unrelated to any Nigerian language, and the tall trees seen in the video are uncommon in Northern Nigeria.
We also checked reputable mainstream media to see if there had been any recent reports related to the video posted but found none.
Conclusion
The video in question is a 2021 video. Findings confirmed that it was filmed in Chinko, Central African Republic, not northern Nigeria, as claimed.
