By Pascal Ibe

 Introduction

“This is the same Zamfara they ambushed policemen on special assignment yesterday and killed 5 policemen?”

“That’s why they ambushed the police 🚔 and killed many police officers; it’s unfortunate; APC is a terrorist party”

These and many more comments trailed a video of a high-ranking police officer revealing that a lawmaker in the Zamfara State House of Assembly, a district head and a former local government chairperson were arrested for their involvement in banditry activities in the state.

People on the X platform, believed that the video was before suspected bandits killed five police officers travelling from Sokoto State to Zamfara State for a special duty assignment after attacking their convoy on 1 November.

News websites reported that the attack occurred on 1 November when the officers, who were travelling in three vehicles, were ambushed by the armed assailants.

Security in Zamfara State, and other states in Nigeria’s North-west, has continued to deteriorate, with unending killings and displacement of many people.

Claim

A Nigerian social media influencer, English Alhaji, who reports conflicts and terror activities in northern Nigeria, posted the video on 1 November on X and claimed that the clip of the police chief making the revelation was recent.

The influencer, who also spoke before the end of the video, said the banditry activities have now become a business by politicians against poor Nigerians and the security operatives, urging citizens to join the fight against insecurity in Nigeria.

The video, along with the claim, was also shared here.

Verification

To ascertain whether the clip is recent or not, FACTWATCH Nigeria typed keywords from what the police chief said in the video posted by the influencer into Google, and the results indicate that the clip was from June 2024 and is NOT recent.

Social media pages shared the video in June 2024 here, here and here.

Corroborating this further, Channels Television reported that the former Commissioner of Police in Zamfara State, Muhammad Dalijan, revealed the command arrested high-profile persons, including a member of the State House of Assembly and a former local government chairman, in connection with banditry in the state.

He did not mention the names of the high-profile persons arrested in connection with the crime.

Other news websites reported this story then here and here.

Verdict

The video of the police chief revealing that the police in Zamfara arrested a lawmaker and other high-profile persons for their involvement in banditry activities in the state was from 2024. But the social media influencer, English Alhaji recycled it as recent. Therefore, it is MISLEADING.