By Pascal Ibe

Introduction

From outrage and pandemonium to cold silence and bleak hopelessness — Plateau locals seem tired of announcing the continuous massacre of their people by armed militias.

The attacks and killings, which Plateau residents, thought would immediately come to an end after President Bola Tinubu visited the state earlier this year, have continued despite the efforts of the Nigerian military.

‎Tinubu visited Plateau in April after deadly attacks in parts of Bokkos council area and surrounding communities that sparked national outrage and renewed concerns over insecurity in the North-Central state.

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‎During the visit, the president promised that the federal government would work towards restoring lasting peace to the state.

However,  barely one month later, DailyPost reported that violence has continued in the weeks that followed with at least 14 separate attacks and no less than 50 casualties in the state.

From Monday 21 to Sunday 27 September, at least 15 people have been killed in attacks across Plateau State.

Claim

As the attacks persist, a photo which claims to show a man arrested for masterminding the attacks in Plateau was posted on X on 24 September.

An X user, @DrCroc28 posted (archived here) the image of the man and claimed that “BREAKING: Suspected Mastermind of Plateau Attacks Arrested in Intelligence-Led Operation”

The X user went ahead to claim that the alleged suspect was arrested on “24/9/2026”

With over 14,000 views and hundreds of reposts, some people who commented on the post believed the story and hailed the Nigerian security agencies for a job well done. While others dismissed the post as untrue 

Verification

To ascertain if the image of the man matches the claim by the X user, we subjected it to an Image Reverse Search website, and the results showed that the earliest date it appeared was in October 2023.

We further traced and found a report with the image attached, that the missing Fulani leader, Ardo of Panyam, Alhaji Adamu Gabdo, in Panyam District of Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State, was found dead by the Nigerian Army at that time 

According to reports, the community leader was declared missing by both the state police command and the Commander, Operation Safe Haven (OPSH), and the latter was said to have been given 48 hours by the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) to find the missing Ardo, whom the MACBAN said was killed in Panyam District. 

The OPSH, in a statement signed by its Media Information Officer, Captain Oya James, in October 2023, confirmed the discovery of the body, adding that the remains of the missing Fulani leader, Ardo Adamu Idris Gabdo, the Ardo Panyam, have been discovered and recovered for burial.

The OPSH said the troops conducted the operations in the early hours of Thursday and were able to identify and recover the remains of the body of the missing Ardo around Boi along Pankshin-Bankali Road in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of Bauchi State, adding that the body has since been handed over to the family for proper burial. 

Many Nigerian news websites reported that story here, here and here.

The army later announced in November of that year that it arrested one Philip Gokas, the suspect behind the murder of Gabdo, the leader of Fulani herders in Plateau State.

The Nigerian Army said the troops of OPSH tracked the suspect to the Ogba area of Lagos after weeks of a manhunt.

According to the statement, Gokas was arrested at a football viewing centre.

Verdict

Investigation by FACTWATCH Nigeria showed that the image of a Fulani leader who was killed in 2023 was recycled recently in 2026 and used to depict the arrest of the suspected mastermind of recent Plateau attacks. Therefore, the claim is FALSE.