Terrorists walking through an unknown bushy path. Source: TVC News
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Claim: Some social media users, including Sahara Reporters, shared a video claiming it shows terrorists recently attacking two military bases in Yobe State and killing many soldiers.
Verdict: MISLEADING. While there was an attack at Buni Yadi and Buni Gari towns in Yobe State’s Gujiba local government, the viral video shared was from an attack that occurred two years ago in Zamfara State.
Full Text
Sahara Reporters shared a one-minute-35-second video on their X platform (archived) on May 10, 2026, showing armed individuals in a celebratory mood after destroying armoured vehicles belonging to the Nigerian Army.
The post claimed that the video shows when Boko Haram terrorists attacked two military bases in Yobe state, killing dozens of police and military officers at the hometown of the state governor, Mai Mala Buni.
“WATCH: Boko Haram Terrorists Attack Two Military Bases In Yobe, Kill Dozens Of Soldiers, Policemen In Governor Buni’s Hometown,” the post’s caption reads.
The post as of May 11, 2026, had gained over 148,700 views, 1,700 reactions, 1,200 retweets, and 360 comments. On Facebook alone, the post has gone viral here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
In the comment section, some Facebook users who believed the video’s context berated the Nigerian military for its poor handling of the crisis.
In his comment, Rapar Sam asked if there’s a quick-response squad in the military. He wrote,
“Where’s the military aircraft, Quick Response Striker? I guess the Nigerian [government] is not ready to defeat terrorists.”
However, DUBAWA found some comments that revealed the viral video is outdated and unrelated to the incident in Yobe state.
Pan Shak wrote, “It’s an old video [from] 2024, that’s the Zurmi local government in Zamfara State. Actually, there was an attack on two Army locations in the Gujiba local government of Yobe state, the locations are Buni Yadi, the local government headquarters and Buni Gari, the governor’s hometown. But this video was an old one.”
Musa Yashi Babawo wrote, “The footage used by [Sahara Reporters] appears to be outdated, as they are wearing winter coats during this heatwave, which is quite unusual in Yobe.”
The conflicting opinions observed in the comment section and the implications of the claim amid the nation’s insecurity crisis prompted DUBAWA to conduct a fact-check.
Verification
Using keyword search, we confirmed that the military troop repelled a terrorist attack on the headquarters of 27 Brigade, Buni Gari, and a nearby checkpoint in Yobe state. The Islamic State-West African Province (ISWAP), a jihadist militant group operating across the Lake Chad Basin, coordinated the multi-directional attack on May 8, 2026.
This is not the first such attack on the town, as credible media platforms had reported attacks in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2025.
A press statement from the Joint Task Force Operation Hadin Kai’s media information officer, Sani Uba, revealed that they repelled the latest ISWAP attack. About 50 terrorists and two soldiers lost their lives in the failed assault.
We reached out to the Nigerian Army’s spokesperson, Onyechi Anele, via phone and text, but we have yet to receive a response as of publication time.
The viral video, however, yielded a different result when DUBAWA conducted a reverse image search of a keyframe using Google Lens.
We discovered that the video had begun circulating on social media as late as February 2024. At the time, it was claimed to be footage of an attack that happened in Zamfara State.
DUBAWA found this exact video as early as April 7, 2025, and all pointed to an unconfirmed bandit attack in Zamfara State. See posts here, here, here, here, and here. Considering the footage’s quality, there is a high probability that the video had existed long before it was used to depict the Zamfara attack.
We conducted a reverse image search on one of the posts after extracting a clear keyframe using InVid WeVerify. We found a Facebook page that posted a clearer version of the video. The post, made on February 29, 2024, claimed that it was an incident in Zamfara, and that more hands should be on deck to checkmate the menace.
We found credible media platforms reporting bandits’ attack on some communities in Zamfara state in February 2024. However, we could not confirm if the video originated from any of the attacks within the period.
These findings contradicted the Sahara Reporters post, which we believe undermines public trust in the military’s efforts against insurgency in the region and in media reportage.
Conclusion
While credible media organisations reported a failed terrorist attack in Buni Yadi and Buni Gari towns in Yobe State, findings revealed that the viral video was from an attack in Zamfara State. Therefore, the claim is misleading.
