Unrelated image used to depict  kidnappers arrested after relationship with victim

Claim: A Facebook page shared an image of two men claiming they were Fulani kidnappers apprehended after falling in love with their victims. 

Verdict: False. The image was taken during the arrest of two terrorists by the Nigerian Police in 2022 in Taraba State, not Kaduna. They were arrested in connection with kidnapping and banditry carried out in Taraba, Adamawa, and Gombe States, not linked to their victims as claimed.

Full Text 

As insecurity intensifies, social media users continue to share false information, often recycled visuals, to drive various narratives.

In the face of the worsening insecurity, a Facebook page (Archived here), “TV Authority,” with over 68,000 followers, shared an image of armed men wearing army camouflage with the claim that the Nigeria Police in Kaduna State arrested them.

The post, uploaded on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026, explained that their arrests were aided by two of their female victims who claimed to be in love with them.

Part of the post’s caption read “Just In: Two Hausa-Fulani kidnappers who fell in love with their victims after raping them have been arrested in Kaduna.”

The post explained that their victims, who were released, kept communicating with their kidnappers. Subsequently, the victims set up a romantic meeting, through which the kidnappers were arrested. 

The claim was also traced to other pages on Facebook (here, here, and here) and on X (here and here).

Meanwhile, the Facebook post gained over 2,000 likes, 1,300 comments, and 390 reposts as of Monday, Jan. 19, 2026.

The comment section was filled with sarcasm from users who believed the claimant’s narrative.

A comment by Israel Inyang reads, “Revealing the security details of this magnitude is a crime. It is not supposed to be shared with the general public for security reasons. The lives of the two women may be in danger.”

Another user, Franklin Ajuonuma, wrote, “Arrested? As if anything will be done to them.”

“If you want to catch a man easily, use a woman,” Musa Siyaka asserted.

Because it is a security-related claim and to prevent the public from consuming false information, DUBAWA decided to verify the claim.

Verification 

DUBAWA conducted a Google Reverse Image search, which led us to a TrekAfrica report published in June 2022. In the report, the then Inspector General of Police (IGP) Usman Baba, emphasised the essence of deploying technological assets and disclosed how the Force Intelligence Bureau had apprehended two suspects in connection with armed robbery, kidnapping, and the illegal possession of firearms.

The two culprits, who are identical to the persons posted by the claimant, were identified as Abdulrahman Ba’u, 35, and Ahmadu Umaru, 50, both of whom hail from Gassol Local Government Area of Taraba State.  

Lagos Eye News also reported a similar arrest in 2022.

Further investigation using keyword searches directed DUBAWA to a post on the official Facebook page of the Nigeria Police Force on June 3, 2022, detailing the arrests of two terrorists, Abdulrahman Ba’u and Ahmadu Umaru. The Police noted that they were arrested in Taraba State with a locally-made revolver gun, military camouflage uniforms, live ammunition, operational swords, and hard drugs.

Other media outlets, such as Television Continental (TVC), Crime Fighters, and Security Watch African News, reported a similar development in June 2022.

Conclusion 

The arrests depicted in the image referenced by the Facebook claimant occurred in June 2022 in Taraba State, not Kaduna. This arrest is not recent and does not align with the original context, so the claim is false.