Claim: A Facebook user claimed that a US naval commander came to Nigeria to engage the Federal Government over the release of Nnamdi Kanu.
Verdict: False. The image used to support the claim was actually taken in Norfolk, Virginia, and had no connection to Nigeria or Nnamdi Kanu.
Full Text
Nnamdi Kanu was sentenced to life imprisonment on Nov. 20, 2025, after being found guilty on all seven counts of terrorism, treason, and incitement. This verdict drew reactions from his supporters and followers, who expressed immediate outrage and fierce condemnation.
Since then, several supporters have continued to clamour for his release, while also using social media to share false narratives about it. DUBAWA has debunked many such claims here, here, here, and here.
Recently, a Facebook user, @Veruethicalman, claimed that a US naval commander came to Nigeria to engage the Nigerian government to secure the release of Nnamdi Kanu.
The post (archived here) was captioned, “Good news to Biafrans.”
The claim, shared in video format, showed a man speaking, with an image of men in white uniforms overlaid at the bottom of the video. The man was heard saying, “Good news to all Biafrans and lovers of freedom. The US naval commander has landed in Nigeria to engage the federal government on the release of our leader Nnamdi Kanu.”
As of Aug. 16, 2026, the post had 5,000 likes, 599 comments, 1,000 shares, and 500,000 views.
We assessed the comments on the post to gauge users’ reaction. @Ugwuake Jekwu speculated, “Now the American government & Israel government will see how the Middle East crisis of jihadist groups will come to an end after the restoration of Biafra; they will marvel.”
@Godwin Okoli questioned: “Why the naval commander and not the Secretary of State? Are they coming with bombs and guns? Looks strange.”
@Mary Osahon pleaded: “Pls help us to free him; the man has suffered so much.”
@Ijeoma Madu asked, “Are you sure?”
The claim was also shared here, here, and here.
The nature of the claim, its virality, and its potential to mislead led DUBAWA to investigate it.
Verification
DUBAWA took a screenshot of the naval officers superimposed on the video and ran it through a Google Lens search.
The search result led to an image published on the Defence Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS), an official US Department of Defence platform that provides visual information from the US military.
The platform carried a clearer version of the image under the title, “SECWAR, CNO, MCPON welcome home Ford carrier, strike group.”
The image, taken by US Navy Petty Officer 1st Class John Bellino, shows Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Daryl Caudle, and Carrier Strike Group 12 Commander Rear Adm. David Duff walking aboard the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, on May 16, 2026.
The image, which was taken in Norfolk, Virginia, has no connection to Nigeria or Nnamdi Kanu.
To further establish whether a US naval commander visited Nigeria to discuss Kanu’s release, DUBAWA searched the official websites of the US Navy and the US Naval Forces for any record of such a visit.
The search showed that senior US naval officials have previously visited Nigeria. For instance, the US Navy reported that Rear Adm. Scott Ruston, Vice Commander of US Naval Forces Africa, visited Lagos from May 31 to June 2, 2026, during the Nigerian Navy’s 70th anniversary celebrations. The Navy said Ruston’s visit was to celebrate the Nigerian Navy’s anniversary and discuss maritime security with regional partners.
The US Navy also reported that Vice Adm. Thomas Ishee, commander of the US Sixth Fleet, visited Lagos on Jan. 27, 2023, for the opening ceremony of Exercise Obangame Express 2023. His engagements with Nigerian military and government officials focused on maritime cooperation and mutual security interests.
DUBAWA found no official record linking any of these visits to discussions of Nnamdi Kanu’s release.
Lastly, we searched for credible news reports about a US naval commander visiting Nigeria to engage the Federal Government over Kanu’s release, but found none.
Conclusion
DUBAWA’s findings show that the image used in the post was taken in Norfolk, Virginia, and has no connection to Nigeria or Nnamdi Kanu. The claim is therefore false.