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Claim: A Facebook post shared by @Achiuior Terwas announced that a Fulani bandit accidentally shot his leader during a celebration.
Verdict: False. The video does not show bandits or any terrorist-related incident. It captures a tragic wedding accident in Amdirib, Chad, where a ceremonial gunshot mistakenly struck and killed the groom.
Full Text
In recent years, Nigeria has seen a sharp rise in kidnappings and mass abductions. What started as occasional incidents in isolated areas has evolved into a widespread crisis affecting numerous states.
The latest data from SBM Intelligence, a Nigerian-based geopolitical research and strategic-communications consultancy, shows that between July 2024 and June 2025 alone, 4,722 people were abducted in 997 kidnapping incidents nationwide, and at least 762 people lost their lives in related violence.
Amidst this, a Facebook user @Achiuior Terwas claimed that a bandit mistakenly shot his leader during a celebration.
The 53-second video showed a group of men gathered in a circle. They wore different outfits and had their heads wrapped in turbans that hid most of their faces. One man holding a gun walked toward another and fired into the air. While he continued shooting carelessly, one of the bullets appeared to hit a man the Facebook user identified as the leader of the Fulani herdsmen in the gathering.
The clip ended with the crowd rushing toward the injured man, who appeared to be bleeding from his abdomen.
As of Dec. 3, 2025, when the video was last viewed, it had 424 comments, 293 comments, and 69,000 views.
We reviewed the comments to gauge users’ reactions to the claim. We observed that many users believed the claim to be true. While some thought the shooting was intentional, others considered it a mistake, and a few simply celebrated the incident.
@Ehiabhi Sunday, for Instance, said, “I have been praying to God to set confusion in their camp. There will be more confusion in their midst, henceforth.”
@Samuel Terkula Akighirga claimed, “He did it intentionally.”
@Emmanuel Iorember observed, “For what I see here, there’s no mistake he did that intentionally, let’s pray this continues from here.”
@Emmanuuel Nja Mbu noted, “These people. Nobody even screamed. But the spectators and the one who was shot, their culture is to run guns. No surprise, even the sympathy demonstrated is very small.”
@Pst Timothy Kwen remarked, “Very good news. He that kill by sword dies by the same sword.
DUBAWA searched and found multiple other Facebook accounts that shared the same post. See samples here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
As the discussions on the shared claim have shown, issues of insecurity, whether from the perspective of perpetrators or victims, remain topics that Nigerians pay close attention to. Since this particular claim continues to circulate online, we decided to verify the information.
Verification
DUBAWA began by utilising InVid WeVerify to break the clip into keyframes and perform reverse image searches on each. This led to a report that gave a different account from the claim on Facebook.
The report stated that a man in Amdirib, Batha Province, lost his life on his wedding day after his brother fired shots in the air during a celebration. One of the bullets struck the groom, and he died hours later in the provincial hospital. It also added that local authorities opened an investigation, and the incident stirred fresh debate on firearm possession and the rising danger of celebratory shootings in the region.
The article further clarified that the gunshots were part of a cultural display. In several communities in Chad, people fire into the air during weddings or major celebrations to express joy and solidarity. This practice signifies that a family is marking a significant event.
We also found other reports and social media posts confirming the incident took place on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025. See samples here, here, and here.
Despite this finding, DUBAWA did not entirely rule out the possibility that a similar incident could have occurred in Nigeria. However, it may have been confused with the one in Chad.
We therefore searched using the keywords from the Facebook post, including the context of a groom being accidentally shot. However, we found no verifiable evidence of such an incident in Nigeria.
With Nigeria ruled out, DUBAWA consulted James Alain, a French teacher from Chad who works at Crescent International School in Kano, Nigeria. He revealed that the language spoken was Hadjerai, usually found in the Batha province of Chad.
“The language the people in the video are speaking is Hadjerai, mainly found in the Batha province of Chad. The Hadjerai people are known for their cultural traditions, especially celebrating weddings with gunshots,” James confirmed.
Based on his insight, DUBAWA was able to establish that the incident occurred in Chad clearly.
Conclusion
DUBAWA’s findings indicate that the incident attributed to Fulani bandits in Nigeria actually occurred in Chad, during a wedding celebration, where a ceremonial gunshot intended as part of the tradition accidentally struck the groom. So the claim is false.
