FACT CHECK: How authentic is the video claiming bandits besieged Zamfara market?

Claiming: A user X posted a video alleging that bandits surrounded a market in Zamfara after residents attacked one of their members.

Verdict: Wrong! We found no credible evidence that such an incident occurred in Zamfara State. The same video has also previously been shared online with different claims.

Full Text

User X, chi… (@nnamanichi93717), shared a videos (archived Here) claimed that bandits surrounded a market in Zamfara State after residents allegedly killed one of them.

The video was uploaded on June 10, 2026, with the caption: “Just now; Bandits surrounded a market in Zamfara State after residents allegedly killed one of their members.”

In the video, several people can be seen running chaotically in various directions, causing fear and confusion in the area.

As of June 21, 2026, the post had received over 5,400 views, 32 reposts, and 63 likes, sparking conflicting responses. Although some people accepted the narrative, others expressed skepticism about its authenticity.

One user X, Tugis Art Studio (@tugisart), commented when they saw the youths running away, even though they had the potential to fight back if equipped with weapons.

Similarly, OmoBenDel (@omobendel_) recommended that providing training and weapons to a small group of local youth could effectively neutralize the threat.

“Let them ambush the terrorists and watch the terrorists be destroyed,” he said.

On the other hand, foreverbabysincerely (@yoursdesirously) questioned the validity of the recording.

“Immortal cameraman?” another user, CITY (@Dr_Dindu), sarcastically questioned the person who filmed the chaotic scene.

DUBAWA also found a similar video with the same claim on X.

Given the mixed reactions in the comments section and the increasing security concerns in North West Nigeria, We decided to verify it.

Verification

Our reporter conducted a frame-by-frame manual review of the footage and observed that the cameraman continued filming the scene without attempting to escape either.

If bandits did surround the market, it is unlikely that anyone would continue to perpetuate the incident and not seek safety.

A careful review of the footage shows no visible bandits throughout the video. We also noticed that the language used in the video, although not clear enough, is not Hausa or Fulani.

Given these inconsistencies, we decided to investigate whether the videos were created or manipulated using AI.

We analyzed the video using ISFAKEAI, which showed that 46% of the video was generated by AI.

DUBAWA then performs a reverse image search on the main frame of the video.

We traced the footage to the same video first shared on June 2, 2026, but related to Bayelsa State. In this context, users claim that Jihadist mobs are chasing civilians.

Additional searching also led us to a video on YouTube, which captured the exact scene from the recording. However, this YouTube user did not include a caption or description for the video.

To further verify the claim, we conducted a keyword search to determine if there were any recent reports from credible news outlets about bandits surrounding markets and chasing people in Zamfara State.

We found no recent evidence to support this claim. A search of statements or press releases from the Zamfara State Police Command, found nothing to support the claim.

Additionally, this reporter contacted two residents of Zamfara State, both of whom stated that there had been no recent attacks on any markets in the state.

Conclusion

The claim is misleading. There is no credible evidence that bandits laid siege to a market in Zamfara State, and a reverse image search shows that the footage had previously circulated online with a different narrative.

This scholarship is implemented by the Center for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) with support from the European Union.

By: Mutalib Jibril