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Claim: A Facebook user shared a video allegedly showing how bandits in Nigeria receive weapons and ammunition through secret or hidden deliveries.
Verdict: Misleading. DUBAWA’s review of available evidence shows the video depicts Russian military activity in the Central African Republic. The video has no connection to Nigeria or any supply of weapons to bandits.
Full Text
The question of where and how terrorists and bandits gain access to sophisticated weapons has long troubled many Nigerians. Over the years, deadly attacks across different parts of the country have led to public fear and repeated speculation about the source of these arms.
Claims regularly circulate, with some alleging foreign sponsorship, internal compromise, or secret supply chains within the country. The most pressing demand, however, remains an end to terrorism itself and the restoration of peace.
A Facebook user shared a video (archived here) that claims to show how and where bandits obtain their ammunition.
The 27-second clip appeared in split-screen. The footage played on the left, while a man on the right narrated the events shown.
He said, “See the way bandits get their ammunition in this country. This is how they get the guns they fight with. The plane that takes the weapons follows the same path Nigerian planes go through, but they cannot track it. This is how their hidden activities happen.”
The man concluded by reiterating that the footage showed how bandits obtain food, arms, and ammunition.
In the video, DUBAWA saw a helicopter that appeared to have just landed. A group of men in various uniforms was present, and two white men emerged from the helicopter and appeared to be coordinating the crowd with hand gestures.
As of Feb.12, 2026, when the post was last viewed, it had 500 likes, 27 comments, over 1,000 views, and 182 shares.
The same claim was also shared here, here, here, here, and here.
DUBAWA reviewed the comments to know what users thought about the claim.
@John Yusuff wrote: “And you are telling me the government of Nigeria does not know? What about the American government? I am shocked.”
Similarly, @Uchenna Calista commented: “That’s Nigeria’s problem. They are aware of them and their activities.”
Another user, @ Lovelina Ozioma, added: “A lot of planning went into that. Impressive.”
@Perpetual Chinenye wrote: “Wonders shall never end. May God keep us safe.”
Posting a brief video alongside ambiguous claims raises suspicions on several fronts. Above all, DUBAWA considered such statements particularly sensitive given the country’s security situation, so we verified them.
Verification
DUBAWA used InVID to analyse a screenshot from the video. The results showed multiple videos making the same claim that the incident occurred in Nigeria. However, we found a clearer, longer version of the video, which contained the original audio and a caption that read:
“Things are getting scarier here. These guys are actually more coordinated and organised than we think. Obviously, these are the people we should be scared of, not to overrun the Nigerian military, and not Trump at all. This is war!”
From the caption, we deduced that this was another claim about terrorists in Nigeria. We were unable to extract any tangible information from the audio, as it contained only the helicopter’s sound and the people’s movements in the video.
This was insufficient evidence to reach a verdict, so we used the clearer version of the video to search for possible alternatives with more details.
Our continued search, using the clearer version of the video, led us to the same video on YouTube, shared in Hausa. This user also linked it to a case of bandits acquiring weapons. However, one aspect of this post made a difference.
DUBAWA saw a comment on the post, which was also written in Hausa but was interpreted as.
“This video was not made in Nigeria; it was made in the Central African Republic. I saw it the day 9it was uploaded to YouTube. Please stop spreading rumours. It is forbidden. Raise awareness among your countrymen about what is happening in your country, and not what one happening somewhere else. May God protect us.”
This additional information prompted DUBAWA to conduct a Google Lens and a Boolean search simultaneously. The search was conducted using specific keywords to broaden the results. Keywords included supplies, bandits in Nigeria, arms, ammunition, Central African Republic, Africa, military, and security.
Our search led to multiple reports featuring the same helicopter and a similar setting. These reports identified the aircraft as a Mil Mi‑17 (Hip), a Russian multi-role helicopter deployed for troop movement, logistics, and limited combat support operations in the Central African Republic.
To verify this independently, DUBAWA extracted an image of the aircraft from the Facebook post and conducted a reverse image search. The results still identified the helicopter as the Mil Mi-17.
DUBAWA also captured a frame that clearly showed the men’s uniforms. We confirmed that it belongs to the Central African Republic Armed Forces.
We also examined the uniforms worn by the white armed personnel who coordinated the crowd and established that they are consistent with Russian military attire.
Overall, DUBAWA found no evidence linking the footage to Nigeria or to any arms supply for bandits. An aircraft of this class would attract immediate public attention in Nigeria and would almost certainly feature in credible national or international news coverage.
Conclusion
DUBAWA’s findings reveal no link between the video shared on Facebook and any event in Nigeria or with bandits receiving weapons. The claim is therefore misleading.
