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Claim: A Facebook user, Debra O Kalus, on Aug. 13, 2025, shared a video claiming terrorists have invaded some communities in Nigeria and will soon begin kidnapping and killing people.
Verdict: False. The video, which dates back to 2024, is from Burkina Faso.
Full Text
Despite efforts to curb insecurity, Nigeria continues to grapple with worsening violence. In May 2025, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, disclosed that no fewer than 150 million citizens have been affected by insecurity, which he described as the nation’s most pressing challenge, involving all sectors.
The crisis was again highlighted recently in Kwara State, where the Police Command confirmed the killing of five people, including Inspector Adejumo Wasiu, during an assault by unidentified gunmen in Babanla, Ifelodun Local Government Area.
While insecurity persists in the country, a Facebook user, Debra O Kalus, shared a video showing armed men with military vehicles, claiming they were “Boko Haram terrorists invading a market in Kwara State of One Nigeria.”
Kalus later shared the same video with a different caption, alleging that the terrorists were sponsored by officials in President Bola Tinubu’s government. The caption further claimed that within days, the terrorists would begin kidnapping, looting, and killing people in Nigeria. She also alleged that Nigeria’s Chief of Staff and ‘his terrorist groups’ were more interested in “killing innocent Biafrans, looting their properties, burning their shops in Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, and Jos.”
Her post continued, expressing hopes that the terrorists would attack the elites, including those in Aso Rock, Aliko Dangote’s refinery, and traditional rulers such as the Sultan of Sokoto and the Emirs of Katsina and Kaduna.
The post reads in part, “They have arrived in Nigeria, possibly sponsored by one of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government officials. Within days, they will kidnap, kill, loot, and abduct. Nigeria’s Chief of Staff, Musa, and his terrorist groups in uniform are more interested in killing innocent Biafrans, looting their properties, and burning their shops in Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, and Jos. Hopefully, these terrorists imported by the Federal Government of Nigeria will enter Abuja, Aso Rock, and unleash their horror there or visit Aliko Dangote Refinery, or the Sultan of Sokoto, Emir of Katsina, Emir of Kaduna, and all northern elites and their families.”
A Google Reverse Image Search of screenshots from the video shows that it has been circulated on multiple Facebook pages, here, here, here, and here, with similar narratives about Fulani jihadists invading Nigeria. The same video has also appeared on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).
Because of the precarious security situation in Nigeria and recent attacks in Kwara State, DUBAWA decided to fact-check these claims, given their potential to heighten tension and create panic.
Verification
DUBAWA conducted a keyword search to verify whether there have been any recent reports of bandits seizing military vehicles in Nigeria, but found no such evidence.
A reverse image search was also carried out using screenshots from the viral video. The result traced the footage back to 2024.
Several reports here, here, here, and here confirm that the video originated from Burkina Faso, where Jama’at Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), al-Qaeda’s branch in the Sahel, claimed responsibility for an ambush on Burkinabe troops between Fada N’gourma and Bongou.
According to those reports, the attack killed more than 140 soldiers and destroyed 116 vehicles.
Conclusion
While there have been attacks in Kwara State and some other parts of the country, the video shared by Debra O Kalus is not from Nigeria. It is an old video from Burkina Faso in 2024. Therefore, the claims that terrorists have been deployed to Nigeria are false.
