Claim: A Facebook user, Mrmess TV, shared a video claiming it showed a protest against police in Katsina State.
Verdict: Misleading. DUBAWA found that the footage was recorded during a protest in Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State and had been circulating online for several weeks.
Full Text
On July 7, 2026, a Facebook page “Mrmess Tv” shared a video (archived here) claiming it showed residents protesting in a village in Katsina State.
In the clip, the narrator asserts, “This is happening in a village in Katsina. The people are declaring they no longer want police presence. They claim officers simply watch while bandits strike. The real question, however, is what do you expect the police to do…”
As of July 9, 2026, the post generated over 2,400 views and three shares. The same video was found here, here, here and on Instagram, indicating the same claim.
Given the sensitivity of security and protest-related information in Northern Nigeria, DUBAWA verified the authenticity and location of the footage.
Verification
DUBAWA extracted keyframes from the video and conducted reverse image searches to establish its origin. The search revealed that the same footage had been circulating online about four weeks before Mrmess TV shared it.
The footage was earlier located on Instagram, here, here, and here on June 10, 2026, with captions indicating that it was from a protest in Zurmi of Zamfara State.
A closer examination of the footage revealed a visible signboard identifying the location as “Zurmi Divisional Police Station.”
DUBAWA confirmed that Zurmi is a local government area in Zamfara State, not Katsina State. The area has experienced repeated attacks by armed groups, kidnappings, and ransom-related crimes in recent years.
Also, the language spoken by the protesters is consistent with the Hausa dialect commonly spoken in parts of Zamfara State, supporting the visual evidence.
Further checks found that residents of Zurmi staged a protest on June 8, 2026, over persistent insecurity in the area. The protest was reported by Zagazola, which revealed that troops of 1 Brigade were deployed to restore calm after demonstrators expressed frustration over the deteriorating security situation.
Another page on Instagram, “politics_hunter”, also reports it, confirming the incident to be in Zurmi.
DUBAWA found no credible statement from security agencies in Katsina State, including the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP AA. Sadik’s handle or reputable media organisations indicating that the video depicted a protest held in Katsina State.
Conclusion
Available evidence shows the video was recorded in Zurmi, Zamfara State, and had been circulating online weeks before it was shared by Mrmess TV as a recent protest in Katsina State. The claim is therefore misleading.
“This fellowship is implemented by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) with support from the European Union.”