|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Claim: A Facebook user via a video post claimed that Fulani terrorists from different countries have invaded Nigeria to initiate mass killing.
Verdict: Misleading! Credible media reports indicate that the Nigeria Police Force has debunked the claim as false, and there are no matching reports to prove that the claim emanated from the BBC, as the Facebook user claimed via post.
Full Text
Terrorism in Nigeria has a long history and remains a significant global issue affecting both the country and other nations. Predominantly in the northern region, incidents involving Boko Haram and the Fulani herdsmen crisis have resulted in the loss of lives and destruction of properties in the affected areas.
Recently, a Facebook user, Critical Thinkers, shared a video showing heavily armed suspected terrorists in a forest with the claim that they were recently deployed to Nigeria for mass killing.
“Breaking, BBC NEWS that Fulani arrived in Nigeria from all other African countries to start mass killing in (Nigeria),” the post’s caption reads.
The post shared on Friday, Sep. 13, 2024, has since generated about six likes, comments, and one repost as of Sunday, Sep. 22, 2024.
By observing some of the comments passed on the post, DUBAWA noticed that users believed the post to be accurate.
Recognising the need for security awareness to prevent the spread of disinformation among Nigerians, DUBAWA decided to verify this information.
Verification
DUBAWA carried out a Google reverse image search on some screenshots from the video. The result led us to different posts made in July 2024 with the same video and similar captions. The post can be found here and here.
Probing further, DUBAWA investigated the claimant’s assertion that the video was authenticated by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). A Google search using the keyword “BBC recent report in Nigeria” was conducted, and all of the corporation’s September reports were reviewed, but none supported the claimant’s assertion.
Meanwhile, while conducting a keyword search to verify the video’s authenticity, we found several reports from credible media organisations.
Vanguard reported on June 27, 2024, that the Nigeria police had debunked the viral video, which claimed to have happened in 2018. The video was manipulated to generate panic and fear among Nigerian citizens and residents.
Similarly, the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) reported a similar story on June 27, 2024.
Moreover, we found a post by the Nigeria Police Force on Jun. 26, 2024, via their official X handle debunking the claim as misleading.
Part of the post reads, “After thorough and detailed video graphic analysis conducted by the NPF Cybercrime Centre, it has been confirmed that the video in question was created and circulated on 28th May 2018.”
“Our findings reveal that the video was recently reposted with a misleading narrative and deliberate intention to cause unnecessary panic and disruption within the country,” the police force wrote.
Moreover, a search for any recent report by credible media outlets also showed no report of Fulanis invading Nigeria’s territory for mass killings.
Conclusion
Our Findings show that the user’s shared video is misleading, and the evidence available shows no BBC reports corroborating the claimant’s assertion.
