Map illustration showing the location of Zamfara State in Nigeria. Image source: Ripples Nigeria.
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Claim: A Facebook user, @DinoBlaq, shared a video allegedly showing the chaos in Zamfara, which he described as unsafe due to recent killings.
Verdict: False. No part of the video represents anything that actually happened in Zamfara, contrary to the claim made by the Facebook user.
Full Text
Zamfara State is one of Nigeria’s states that has faced persistent insecurity for several years. Reports consistently show how armed banditry affects many communities, especially in rural areas, with incidents such as kidnappings, cattle rustling, village attacks, and killings.
These attacks have forced some residents to flee their homes and have disrupted daily life and economic activities across the state. Despite efforts by security agencies and local groups, Zamfara continues to feature in discussions of insecurity in Nigeria’s North-West and remains the subject of many security-related claims circulating online.
A Facebook user, @DinoBlaq, claimed that Zamfara State is unsafe and alleged that many people had been killed.
In the 23-second video attached to the post, we heard a male voice say, “Something just happened in Zamfara. Many people have died today. If you have a brother or sister in Zamfara, please tell them not to come outside because Zamfara is on fire. Please share this video as you watch it so that it can reach anyone staying in Zamfara. Let’s pray for them.”
Although the video is brief, it shows three different scenes. The first shows an open field with people running. The second shows trees, and as the camera tilts upward, a helicopter appears in the sky. The final scene shows a herd of cows running, with one man following behind them.
As of Dec. 19, 2025, the video had recorded about 200,000 views, over 4,000 reactions, 98 comments, and 1,300 shares.
From the comments section, @Okwudiri Ohadeto asked, “ Why should I pray for them? Is there anything important over there?”
@Uchenna Ifeanyi replied, “These people have really ruined this country. Look how they have made people run here and there.”
@Abolaji Tope wrote, “ May God have mercy on all states in Nigeria. All the people who have set camps to ruin peace will soon meet up with their nemesis.”
@Agudu Thomas, demanding more details, wrote, “ What happened? Give people full information, please.”
@Mark Ese added, “My own point is that if security men and the Nigerian government can no longer protect and safeguard the lives and properties of Nigerians, let them declare open so we know how to fight for ourselves.”
@Nomansland, sceptical of the claim, responded, “I don’t trust this information.”
@Aliyu Zakari, who claims to be in the region, said, “Ooohhh liar, I’m presently in Zamfara state. I was even at farms in the afternoon, the area where all these attacks are happening is in the bush, where those bandits’ hideout is, stop escalating false news.”
The varied reactions to the claim prompted DUBAWA to investigate.
Verification
DUBAWA searched for official security updates and credible news reports to establish if a mass-casualty incident occurred in Zamfara State recently. However, as of Dec.19, 2025, no official update was seen that supports the claim that many people were killed or that Zamfara State was experiencing a widespread violent outbreak, as alleged in the video.
The last reported case of insecurity in Zamfara State was on Dec. 17, 2025. The incident occurred in the Nahuce community, Bungudu Local Government Area, where suspected armed bandits carried out an attack that resulted in the abduction of several residents.
DUBAWA used InVID WeVerify to break the video into keyframes, selecting one from each of the three scenes for reverse image searches. The first scene, showing people running, yielded no matches. We then used Hive.ai’s visual moderation feature, which returned a 99% score, indicating that AI likely generated the content.
Result from Hive.ai
DUBAWA also attempted to verify the video using Deepware.ai, but after several tries, the website was down and would not function. We subjected the image to the InVid forensic feature. The results from Error Level Analysis (ELA) revealed anomalies in the image’s structure and compression. This indicates that elements have been artificially added or manipulated.
Error Level Analysis.
DUBAWA moved to the next scene, and as we assessed the screenshot using Google Lens, it led us to a report by CNN, which detailed that a Colombian National Police helicopter was attacked and brought down during an anti-narcotics operation on Aug. 21, 2025. The report noted that the aircraft was supporting efforts to eradicate coca crops in a rural area of Antioquia when it was struck during an attack attributed to armed groups. This resulted in the deaths of several police officers on board.
In the final scene of the video, showing someone running after a herd of cows, we traced it back to the TikTok user @Muhammed Hadi, who shared footage of himself chasing his cows. Although the user added gunshot sounds to the post to suggest he was running because of them, DUBAWA confirmed from the comment section that it was just audio, as the user himself stated. There was also no mention of Zamfara in the post.
Conclusion
While Zamfara faces its own security challenges, DUBAWA’s findings reveal that the video purportedly showing ongoing chaos in Zamfara is false. There is no evidence of rapid killings currently taking place in the state.
