Sojojin Amurka da Najeriya. Asalin hoto: US Army.
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Claim: A viral video claims that the US and the Nigerian Army jointly rescued kidnapped victims in a coordinated operation in Zamfara State.
Verdict: False. The video is AI-generated. There is no evidence that US forces participated in a joint ground rescue mission in Zamfara.
Full Text
Amid ongoing insecurity in Nigeria, particularly in the North-West region, a viral video (archived here), circulating on Facebook, suggests that the United States (US) and Nigerian troops conducted a joint operation to rescue kidnapped victims in Zamfara State.
The claim surfaced online following the Nigerian authorities’ announcement that the US Army will support Nigeria in tackling insecurity. The ten-second video shows a US soldier announcing that the American and Nigerian forces have rescued kidnapped victims in a “joint coordinated operation” in Zamfara.
As of Monday, Feb. 23, 2026, the clip had amassed more than 665,000 views, over 10,000 reactions, 958 comments, and 501 shares.
Reactions were divided, as some users were immediately sceptical of the clip’s authenticity.
One user, Ezea Gozie, doubting the video wrote, “The video is too short to be real. I suspect it is AI-generated.”
Another user, David Chigozie, however, responded positively, saying “God bless the U.S. military and bless Donald J. Trump.”
Given the sensitivity of the matter, DUBAWA decided to investigate the authenticity of the video and the claim.
Verification
DUBAWA conducted a manual frame-by-frame review of the video. The alleged rescued victims in the background appear unnaturally static, showing no movement in the video.
Beyond that, DUBAWA subjected the viral clip to digital forensic analysis using Hive AI, which rated it as 100 per cent AI-generated.
Another tool, Truthscan, showed a 42 per cent probability of a deepfake.
DUBAWA searched official communication channels, including the Nigerian Defence Headquarters, the Nigerian Army’s verified social media accounts, the US Department of Defence’s Africa Command (AFRICOM) press releases, and other credible media outlets, but found nothing related to the claim.
No official statement, press release, or credible report confirmed the operation.
Furthermore, the Nigerian Defence Headquarters has publicly emphasised that US military personnel in Nigeria are not combat forces.
“The US personnel are technical specialists serving strictly in an advisory and training capacity,” Director of Defence Information, Samaila Uba, disclosed in a statement.
Conclusion
DUBAWA’s findings show that the video is AI-generated. Therefore, the claim is false.
