Claim: An X user shared a video claiming it shows Nigerian soldiers dealing with terrorists.
Verdict: Insufficient evidence. The video does not show the Nigerian Army, and there is not enough evidence that terrorists or bandits were the ones being attacked in the video, as claimed.
Full Text
An X user, The Crusader (@Armylucifer001), shared a video claiming that Nigerian soldiers are dealing with terrorists, giving them no option for rehabilitation. The video showed one soldier using Binoculars to observe something in the distance, while another soldier handled a rocket launcher.
The video posted on July 10, 2026, was captioned, “Observe and hit your target, buddy. Send anything in sight to Valhalla. Nigerian soldiers are not smiling with terrorists. No option for rehabilitation.”
As of Aug. 25, 2026, the video had generated over 45,000 views, 80 reposts, 19 comments, 519 likes, and 34 bookmarks.
A review of the comment section showed mixed reactions, with some users believing the claim while others questioned its authenticity.
An X user, ADINOYI, believing the claim, commented, “Na lifeless body we wan dae see abeg. Let them go to their makers.”
Another X user, Mr Ayo, who also believed the claim, wrote, “God bless you!!!!! K!!l any bandit on sight!!!! No chance for rehabilitation.”
However, an X user, Blvcko, who didn’t believe the claim, said, “These aren’t Nigerian armies, bro. They can’t even afford that ammunition lol.”
Another X user, ispeedtweets, also questioned the authenticity of the claim, commenting, “Is this training or real life? I thought the cameraman was supposed to turn the camera to the target?
In light of the mixed reactions and high engagement statistics, DUBAWA decided to verify the claim’s authenticity.
Verificaton
DUBAWA extracted key frames from the video and used the Invid verification tool to carry out Google reverse image searches. However, the search returned no results related to the video.
DUBAWA reviewed the about 15-second video and observed characteristics that raised questions about its authenticity and warranted further investigation.
We observed the video had no audio or ambient sound. While the absence of audio or the short duration of a video does not, on its own, prove that it is AI-generated, these characteristics, when considered alongside the inability to trace the original footage, raised questions about whether the video had been digitally manipulated or generated using AI.
DUBAWA therefore subjected the video to AI-detection tools. We first subjected the video to Hive moderation to determine whether it was AI-generated. The result indicated a 20.7% probability that the video was AI-generated.
The video was also analysed using another AI detection tool, TruthScan, which gave a15% probability that it was AI-generated.
Seeing that the score was low, DUBAWA compared the uniform in the video with the Nigerian Army’s uniform to identify the soldiers.
From the analysis, the image on the left shows a Nigerian Army uniform with a clear, authentic Nigerian national flag patch, whereas the uniform in the image on the right has a green-and-red insignia not used by the Nigerian military.
This shows that the soldiers in the video aren’t Nigerian soldiers. However, the soldiers’ exact country could not be determined, as the logo on the wear was blurry.
Conclusion
DUBAWA’s investigation found that the soldiers in the video are not Nigerian soldiers, and there is no evidence in the video showing terrorists or bandits being attacked.
This fellowship is implemented by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) with support from the European Union.