Image portraying bandits: Source: VON.
|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Claim: A Facebook user, Pst Ubong Tom, posted a video claiming that bandits are in Nigeria.
Verdict: Misleading. The video is from Uganda, not Nigeria.
Full Text
A Facebook user, Pst Ubong Tom, posted a video on Nov. 8, 2025, with the claim, “This is happening in Nigeria, bandits are at it again.”
As of Nov. 22, 2025, the video had garnered over one million views, over 500 comments, and over 5,000 likes. Despite weeks passing since the post was made, comments as of Nov. 20, 2025, prompted DUBAWA to fact-check the claim, especially given the recent spike in insecurity in Nigeria, which could heighten public anxiety about the security situation.
The comment section revealed a mix of beliefs, doubts, and emotional reactions from users. One user, Oluwatoyin Adeniyi, argued that dismissing the video as footage from another country was merely giving Nigerians a “false sense of security,” insisting that the country’s security challenges remain very real.
Another commenter, Olaseni Olayinka, turned the discussion into an ethnic argument, calling on Hausa and Fulani people to “return to wherever they came from” while advocating for other groups to bear sophisticated arms.
Expressions of worry and appeals for peace also surfaced, with users like Bolatito Philip simply saying, “We need peace in Nigeria, Jesus Christ.”
Others questioned the content of the video itself, such as Oga Landlords, who suggested that the police appeared to be “walking hand in hand with the bandit.” At the same time, some viewers outrightly disputed the claim. For instance, Dauda Bello Jada identified the footage as being from Uganda, and Emmanuel O. Kalu insisted, “No, now, this is not Nigeria at all.”
The conflicting interpretations and the potential for the video to heighten tension made it necessary for DUBAWA to fact-check the claim.
Verification
DUBAWA subjected the video to InVID WeVerify and conducted a keyframe analysis. The findings revealed that the footage is not from Nigeria. The video originated from Mbarara City in Uganda, where dozens of National Unity Platform supporters, mainly those accompanying the party’s presidential flag bearer, were arrested.
They were rounded up by a joint security team while travelling to Mbarara City from a campaign rally in the district. NTV Uganda, a Ugandan-based media organisation, also posted the video.
Conclusion
The claim that the video shows bandits operating in Nigeria is misleading. The footage is from Uganda and unrelated to Nigeria’s security situation.
