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Claim: An X user posted a video of Nigerian soldiers allegedly celebrating with bandits.
Verdict: Misleading! Although news outlets reported the soldiers’ presence amidst the Fulani terrorists, the incident happened in 2023.
Full Text
Over the years, Nigeria had been bedevilled with attacks by bandits, with kidnapping being particularly prevalent in the northern regions.
This has resulted in the loss of lives and properties and the displacement of citizens from their homes in search of safer abodes.
An X user (@newbreed1914) on Sunday, June 2, 2024, shared a video showing gun-wielding soldiers surrounded by people on bikes.
The X user, along with the 42-second video, wrote, “In the South East, the Nigerian Army intimidates innocent people, while in the North, they celebrate with terrorists.”
He projected his perception by quoting a video allegedly showing some military officers assaulting an unnamed individual in Aba, Abia State. Along with the video, he wrote:
“If the boy they are assaulting takes up arms to avenge this barbarous act of these Soldiers, he’ll be called IPOB.” The X user wrote.
The video, which has generated a debate among members of the public, has amassed over 4,000 views, 916 likes, 1115 reposts, 24 quotes, and 51 bookmarked times as of Monday, June 17, 2024.
Some users questioned the military’s competency in the video clip’s comment section, while others shared diverse opinions.
“…shame on these useless terrorists in uniform called military.” (@Xplorer31780963) asserted.
Another user (@Kingkuty82533) said, “Just imagine, th(e)y (are) asking them to clear the road for Fulani they are about to pass, but in Biafra land, you want to kill people for nothing.”
DUBAWA, however, sought to verify the video’s authenticity.
Verification
DUBAWA checked the video using Google Reverse Image Search. We noticed that the video footage has existed since 2023.
The context of the video post suggests how the army permitted armed Fulani terrorists to walk around and have peace talks with some communities in Katsina State.
Furthermore, we came across similar posts posted on X in 2023 here and here, showing the video is not recent.
Also, on Sept. 19, 2023, Channels reported on the Defence Headquarters (DHQ)’s decision to investigate the soldiers who were found dialoguing with the Fulani terrorists. The report also reflects the DHQ’s hint at accepting repentant terrorists. Leadership also reported a similar story.
A report by Truth Nigeria suggests that the bandits and soldiers met to make an easy exit out of town (Katsina). The paper further reports that the bandits’ “closest safe haven” is a forest in Birnin Gwari, less than an hour’s drive from town, or Zamfara State’s eastern forests, which are also safe places for them.
Furthermore, keyword searches show that no recent report by any credible media corroborates the X user post.
Conclusion
Available reports inform that the video dates back to 2023.
