A viral video circulating on social media, shared by a verified x user @Somtolism7 on April 9, 2026, claims to show gunshots raining heavily in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, as terrorists attempt to take over Abuja.
The footage features a man speaking to the camera while loud gunshot sounds are heard in the background.
The footage has gained over 500,000 views, 2,500 reposts and over 600 comments.
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CLAIM
The video shows an attack by terrorists attempting to take over Abuja.
FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.
Analysis of the footage done by The FactCheckHub reveals several red flags. The video is a digital fabrication designed to cause panic, and the person filming the video shows no fear or urgency expected of someone in an active danger zone; rather, he remains calm and continues speaking directly to the camera despite the gunfire.
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Furthermore, a closer inspection indicates that the audio of the gunshots was edited and layered over the original video to create a false sense of danger.
The force public relation officer, Anthony Placid, officially debunked the video in a statement released on Friday April 10. He said, “no such incident occurred, and the claims contained in the video are entirely false, misleading, and malicious.”
“Preliminary investigations revealed that the video was deliberately curated using misleading footage sourced from online platforms to construct a false narrative aimed at causing panic, inciting public fear, and undermining public confidence in the security architecture of the nation’s capital.”
He concluded that there’s been an arrest of Pam Joseph in connection with the circulation of the video.
“The arrest followed credible intelligence and digital forensic investigations linking the suspect to the origin and circulation of the video.”
The video started circulating hours after Islamist militant groups Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) launched coordinated overnight attacks on multiple locations in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno state, killing an army general and several other soldiers, military sources said on Thursday.
VERDICT
The claim that Islamist terrorists are currently attacking or taking over Abuja is FALSE. The video is a manipulated fabrication using superimposed audio, as confirmed by the Police Command.
Seasoned writer and literary curator, Zainab Abdulrasaq is a factchecker for The FactCheckHub in an effort to combat information disorder. She can be reached on IG @blackbookishgirl or zabdulrasaq@icirnigeria.org
