Video of retired military officer confessing ammunition supply to terrorists not recent

Claim: An X user @fattylincorn_01 shared a video of a retired military officer confessing to being a gun runner for terrorists in Zamfara State. 

Verdict: Misleading! While there have been recent reports of such arrests, the video in question was first shared in 2022 when it was widely reported in major media outlets. 

Full Text 

The rising cases of insecurity in Nigeria cannot be denied. From banditry to kidnapping, armed robbery, and several other attacks on innocent citizens, many Nigerians now live in fear.

Recently, the United Kingdom issued a travel advisory warning British nationals against travelling to some states in Nigeria, citing the activities of terrorists, bandits, militant groups, and other common crimes.

This comes amid talks by the United States President, Donald Trump, to launch a military intervention in Nigeria after allegations of Christian genocide sparked debate on social media.

As the conversations around insecurity intensify, DUBAWA observed visuals unrelated to recent attacks in Nigeria being reshared on social platforms. While some claims are outrightly false, some are shared in a misleading context. 

Amidst this, a social media user @fattylincorn_01 shared a video that showed a man arrested for allegedly supplying ammunition to terrorists. The clip was taken from a Channels TV broadcast. 

In the video, the suspect, Saidu Lawal, stated that he had joined the Nigerian Army in 2003, retired in 2020, and was subsequently disengaged in 2021. He said he was on his way to supply ammunition when the police arrested him.

The video had a tag for a TikTok page, @tammie..richmind, who had shared it in January 2025. 

Checks of the X account’s comment section showed that many users believed it was a recent incident. Given the potential of such a claim to further heat an already charged polity, DUBAWA fact-checked it.

Verification 

A keyword search for the suspect’s name, Saidu Lawal, returned media reports of his 2022 arrest. 

The video was uploaded to Channels TV’s YouTube channel on Aug. 31, 2022.

In a report by the ICIR, the police had described Saidu as a notorious kidnapper, who was also accused of armed robbery and illegal possession of prohibited firearms.

He was said to have been arrested along the Abuja–Kaduna road en route to Zamfara State, and exhibits were recovered from his possession.

Conclusion

While Saidu Lawal was indeed arrested for supplying guns to terrorists, the incident happened in 2022, not recently as portrayed by the X user.