Misleading! Viral video of armed men with troops taken out of context

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Lademi Aborisade

Claim: X user shares a video showing fully armed bandits captured alongside the police and military in a pally. 

Verdict: Misleading! A reverse image search shows it is an old video from 2025. Reputable media organisations show that the video was taken out of context. 

Full Text 

Insecurity remains a major concern in Nigeria, as incidents involving armed groups and security forces continue to draw public attention.

On June 18, 2026, Obiasogu David (@afrisagacity) shared a video on X showing fully armed men and bandits.

The military personnel could be seen talking and entering their vehicles and armoured tanks, while the bandits could be seen on bikes and some on foot in a friendly atmosphere with the police and the military. 

The one-minute-long video was captioned, “Fully-armed Bandits captured in a video, together with the police and the military, in what looks like a pally. What is really going on?”

The post (archived here) attracted more than 6355 views, 15 comments, and 80 shares as of June 22, 2026.

The claim generated strong reactions on social media. 

Ahmedu Nwoko (@AhmeduNwoko) wrote, “Nigerian citizens should defend themselves and stop waiting for compromised Nigerian security institutions. It’s obvious Nigeria govt is aiding and abetting terrorists to kill Nigerians.”

Another user, Fanocean (@Emmanue50088843) wrote, “APC is a terrorist government, I’ve been saying it. I wish Nigerians knew that they are being ruled by terrorists”

The sensitive nature of the claim and its impact on Nigerians prompted DUBAWA to verify it. 

Verification

To verify the veracity of the claim, we decided to trace the digital footprints. DUBAWA extracted keyframes from the clip and performed a reverse image search using InVid, a fact-checking tool. 

The result revealed that the clip has existed since June 2025. We found multiple Facebook accounts sharing the same 2025 clip here (archived link) and here (archived link). 

We then conducted a keyword search on the context for the year 2025. This led us to a news report by The Guardian with the headline “Video of bandits with troops in Katsina misinterpreted.”

The Guardian noted that the video depicting suspected bandits alongside Nigerian troops in Katsina State is said to have been misinterpreted by many as a sign of collusion with terrorists.

Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency media expert, disclosed that the incident was, in fact, a manifestation of ongoing non-kinetic operations aimed at restoring peace and stability in the North West region.

The individuals shown in the video were not in league with the soldiers, but suspects who voluntarily chose to surrender their arms in exchange for amnesty and reintegration into their communities.

Conclusion

The video is real, but the claim attached to it is misleading. The footage was recorded in 2025 during a security operation involving suspected bandits who reportedly surrendered their weapons as part of a peace process.