A VIDEO showing a heavily armed group of fighters stationed in a dense forest has triggered panic on social media, with claims that it depicts active terrorists or bandits preparing to launch widespread attacks across Nigeria.
The footage captures several men wearing military camouflage and civilian attire seated in a forest, surrounded by multiple belt-fed heavy machine guns.
An X user @favour3∅3∅∅ shared the footage on June 4, 2026, with the caption: “breaking, see the machine gun these guys are using. One Nigerian over to you. Keep Fighting against our freedom. thinking u will be safe.. they are coming ur brothers sisters children will not be spared.. when they come..”
READ: Video of Adeboye asking security chiefs to resign over insecurity is not recent
CLAIM
A viral video shows a heavily armed insurgent group preparing to attack citizens in Nigeria.
FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is MISLEADING.
The heavily armed fighters captured in the forest video have absolutely no connection to Nigeria’s current security challenges, bandit networks, or regional insurgencies.
A reverse image search of key video frames conducted by The FactCheckHub traces the footage back to East Africa. The video was originally published on X on May 2, 2026, weeks before it was repurposed to target the Nigerian audience.
Within the period, in early May 2026, the video surfaced on Facebook, posted by the Ethiopian regional media page Tigray Times. The original East African publication featured an audio track and a caption entirely written in Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia. The original text reads: “እዛው ከቦታው ነኝ፡፡ የብልፅግና ግብአተመሬት ለማፍጠን ከጫፍ ደርሰናል፡፡ እኛ የህይወት መስዋእትነት እየከፈልን ነው እናንተም ቢያንስ አንድነታችሁን አጠናክሩ! ቻው” ይላል
When translated by Google Translate, the caption states:
“I am from that place. We have reached the end of the road to accelerate the prosperity of the land. We are sacrificing our lives, so you should at least strengthen your unity! Bye”
Keyword searches based on the translation of the Facebook page revealed that they are Ethiopians from the Amhara region who are members of the armed group Fano.
The Fano, according to a report published by the African Report in January 2026, is a nationalist armed group that has openly defied the Ethiopian federal government since the 2023 directive to dissolve regional special forces and integrate them into national defence units. Originally allied with the government during the Tigray war, the group has transitioned into a full-scale regional insurgency in the Amhara region.
VERDICT
The claim that the video shows insurgents mobilising to attack Nigeria is misleading. Digital verification proves the footage originated in East Africa and was documented by Ethiopian sources on May 2, 2026, regarding regional conflicts. It has no relevance to Nigeria.
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
