Claim: A Facebook user shared an image of corpses, claiming it shows residents recently killed by kidnappers in Kurawa village, Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
Verdict: False. DUBAWA found that the image is unrelated to Sokoto. It originated from reports about a military operation against armed groups in the Republic.
Full Text
Sabon Birni is a local government area in Sokoto State, Northwestern Nigeria, bordering the Republic of Niger. The area is one of the communities most affected by armed banditry and kidnapping in the state.
A Facebook user, Ibrahim Garkuwan Danchadi, shared a post claiming that kidnappers had recently killed several residents of Kurawa village in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
Accompanying the claim was a graphic photograph (archive here) showing lifeless bodies scattered across a wide open area.
Writing in Hausa alongside crying emojis, the user said, “These are some of the people reportedly killed by kidnappers in Kurawa town, Sabon Birni, Sokoto State, just now… Please help share this message so it reaches the appropriate authorities.”
As of July 8, 2026, the post had generated 230 reactions, 76 comments, and 74 shares.
Many users believed the claim to be true, while others were sceptical.
One user, Aminu Bello, wrote, “This is the naked truth about the state of the nation. May Allah protect us and ease our suffering. The North is facing a serious crisis.”
A different user, Hon Nazifi Garba Gatawa, effectively dismissed the post as a fabrication, calling the claimant “a liar.”
Given the likelihood that it contains falsehood and the potential for the claim to fuel fear and misinformation, DUBAWA investigated.
Verification
DUBAWA began by establishing whether any recent kidnapping attack matching the claim had occurred in Kurawa village.
We conducted keyword searches and found no report of a recent mass killing by kidnappers in Kurawa, Sabon Birni.
To further verify the claim, DUBAWA contacted the Public Relations Officer of the Sokoto State Police Command, DSP Ahmad Rufa’i, who dismissed the claim.
According to him, there has been no recent report of an attack in Kurawa village or the killing of residents as claimed in the Facebook post.
“There has been no recent attack on Kurawa village or the killing of any residents, as claimed in the Facebook post. While communities in Sabon Birni have continued to experience attacks, we have not received a report of such an attack on that day.”
DUBAWA then examined the photograph accompanying the claim and conducted a Google reverse image search.
The search traced the image to reports on X (formerly Twitter), that attributed the image to a military operation conducted by the Defence and Security Forces (FAN) in the Tillabéri Region of the Niger Republic.
One of the pages, Dépêche AES, posted other supporting videos and images as evidence of the military onslaught. The post caption revealed that the operation was carried out on June 30, 2026, targeting armed groups operating around the Torodi area of western Niger.
The same image was also shared by another X account, Nation Mali @NationMali.
At no point was the photograph linked to Kurawa village, Sabon Birni, or any incident in Sokoto State.
Conclusion
The claim that the viral photograph shows residents recently killed by kidnappers in Kurawa village of Sabon Birni Local Government Area, Sokoto State, is false.
This fact-check is produced under the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) Northwest ONSIT Fellowship with support from the European Union.