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Claim: A Facebook user claimed that Francis Duru, a popular Nollywood actor, has joined the Nigerian Army.
Verdict: False. There is no evidence that the actor has joined the Nigerian Army. The actor has also clarified that the images are from a film in which he played a military role.
Full Text
The popular status of celebrities has often been used to spread false narratives. These claims may relate to their personal lives, careers, alleged statements, reports of their demise, or fabricated videos of them promoting phishing schemes.
A Facebook user claimed (archived here) that Francis Duru, a popular Nollywood actor, has joined the Nigerian army. The post featured four images in a collage of the actor in military clothing.
As of Jan. 26, 2026, the post had 75 likes and 27 comments.
The comment section was filled with users congratulating the actor, while others asked whether the military recruits old people.
@Austin Chuks wrote: “Nice one. So the army dey recruiting 60-year-old people? Okay oooo, make I tell my papa to join oooo
@Augustine Frank wrote, “ He is one of my favourite actors. Congratulations to him.”
@Wali Irene asked, “He joined the Nigerian military at his old age?”
@Odogwu Ekwueme, who disagreed with the claim, replied, “You all just like to carry fake news around.”
While the post did not receive many engagements, we found the same claim had been shared by other users across multiple accounts, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
Considering the nature of the claim, the public figure involved, and the number of accounts circulating it, DUBAWA decided to verify it.
Verification
Using keywords from the claim, DUBAWA first searched for recent or past reports to verify whether Francis Duru was recently recruited into, or had ever served in, the Nigerian Army. This search did not yield any credible evidence to support the claim.
Next, we examined the image shared by the Facebook user and conducted a reverse image search. We found several videos showing the actor dressed in a military uniform, seated with other men in similar attire around a table. The caption on one of the videos read: “Veteran Nollywood actors Keppy Ekpenyong and Francis Duru star in new film shot at Nigerian Army Headquarters.”
DUBAWA also searched for the actor’s page and confirmed that Francis Duru is in his 50s. This shows beyond a reasonable doubt that he is well beyond the maximum age limit for enlistment into the Nigerian Army, which only accepts new recruits within specific age ranges depending on the entry route.
To gather more facts, DUBAWA searched Francis Duru’s social media accounts and found an Instagram post where he clarified to his audience that he is not in the army. In his words, written in Pidgin and translated by DUBAWA:
“Greetings, my good people. Please don’t be upset, this is AI-generated and comes from a film I acted in, where I played the role of a lieutenant general. It’s just a movie; this uniform is not one I actually wear. Although it suits me, it’s only for the film. I have never even joined the Boy Scouts, let alone the army. Only in the film could I reach that rank. I thank God for giving me the opportunity to play this role. People have been calling to congratulate me, but I want to clarify again. It’s just a film.”
Conclusion
DUBAWA’s findings show that the actor is not part of the Nigerian Army. The actor himself clarified in a post to his followers that he was only starring in a movie that required him to wear a military uniform. The claim is therefore false.
