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Claim: A Facebook user posted a picture of a Nigerian military officer, claiming he was arrested in connection with the abduction of Islamic clerics in Zamfara State.
Verdict: Misleading. The picture is connected to the arrest of an imposter major-general in Kaduna State, and not linked to the abduction of the Islamic clerics in Zamfara State.
Full Text
Amid the public discourse connected to the abduction of six Islamic clerics in Zamfara State, a Facebook user shared a picture of a Nigerian military officer and claimed he was arrested in connection with the abduction of the clerics.
Along with the post (archived here) was the caption, “This officer was arrested in Talata of Zamfara after six Imams clerics were taken into the forest by bandits along Dakko-Damri feeder road in Bakura Local Government Area. One of them who dey always plan the abduction for them don enter hand today.”
As of Sept. 15, 2026, the claim had attracted 32 reactions, seven comments and one repost.
The post prompted different responses from other Facebook users.
A Facebook user, Bigi Dadd, wrote, “Nah rehabilitation dem go do all the bandits.”
Another user, Av him hj, commented, “Arrested but will be free tomorrow.”
Eeshart Husmanh Husmanh commented, “Why is he looking like an innocent officer?”
Because of the post’s sensitive nature, DUBAWA decided to verify the claim.
Verification
DUBAWA conducted a Google Reverse Image Search on the picture. It linked us to a Facebook post about a civilian apprehended in Kaduna State for impersonating a retired senior military officer.
Further Google keyword searches connected us with related reports from multiple national outlets, including P.M News, First Weekly, The Cable, and Tribune Online. They all reported that the Nigerian Army arrested a suspected fake major-general in Kaduna.
The reports stated that personnel of the 312 Artillery Regiment deployed at the Strike Force Base in the Sabo area arrested the suspect for allegedly impersonating retired Major-General Ibrahim.
It added that officials sought to establish the circumstances surrounding the alleged impersonation and determine whether others were involved. Notably, the reports were published back in June 2026.
The arrest of the suspect was also reported here, here, here, here, here, and here.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued on Sept. 13, 2026, the state police spokesperson, Yazid Abubakar, confirmed the abduction of six clerics along the Dakko–Damri feeder road by bandits. DUBAWA checked and found no report on any arrest in connection with the abduction.
Efforts to contact the police command’s spokesperson, Yazid Abubakar, were unsuccessful. Calls and text messages went unanswered at the time of filing this report.
Conclusion
The post is misleading. The picture shared is not connected to the abduction of the Islamic clerics in Zamfara State.
This fellowship is implemented by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) with support from the European Union.