FACK CHECK: Misleading video used to claim bandits were set on fire in Kebbi State

Claiming: A Facebook user, D English Alhaji, shared a video claims that four bandits were killed and burnt in Aboki Community, Jega Local Government Area of ​​Kebbi State.

Indictment: Misleading! Our investigation found that the incident occurred in Aboki Community, Kaiama Local Government Area of ​​Kwara State, not in Kebbi State.

Moreover, there are no reports to suggest that the bandits were burned as claimed.

Full Text

A Facebook user, D English Alhaji shared a video claiming that four bandits were killed and burnt in Aboki Community, Jega Local Government Area of ​​Kebbi State.

The caption of the video reads, “Yesterday, July 21, 2026, at precisely 22.15 hours, terrorists known as bandits attacked Aboki Community, Jega Local Government Area of ​​Kebbi State. They attempted to kidnap a businessman in the community, Alhaji Tukur. However, the information was leaked to local residents. They exchanged gunfire for about an hour. In the process, two bandits were captured alive, while four people were killed and set on fire.”

As of July 23, 2026, the Facebook post had received approximately 39,000 likes, 4,000 comments, and 1,000 reshares, generating mixed reactions. Although many users believed the claim, another user stated that Aboki Community is located in Kwara State, not Kebbi State.

A Facebook user, Njoku Ugochukwu, commented “Congratulations to the brilliant vigilantes of Aboki.”

Another user, Ayuba Sunday, write“Congratulations to the gallant men. The British Alhaji went with nothing to hide.”

However, some users disputed the location mentioned in the video.

A Facebook user, Emmanuel Nworie, commented “But Sir, Aboki falls under Kaiama LGA, Kwara State, Nigeria.”

Likewise Muhammad Sani Salihu noted that “Aboki Community falls under Kaima Local Government Area of ​​Kwara State.”

In light of conflicting comments regarding the location and growing security concerns in North West Nigeria, this reporter decided to verify the claim.

Verification

We conducted a Google keyword search to determine whether credible news organizations reported that bandits were killed and burnt in Aboki Community, Jega Local Government Area of ​​Kebbi.

Our findings show that Aboki Community is located in Kaiama Local Government Area of ​​Kwara State, where the incident occurred.

Several credible media platforms reported on the incident. All reports stated that on Tuesday 21 July 2026, five armed bandits invaded the community and opened fire indiscriminately at around 22.15. The attack claimed the life of a resident identified as Musa.

During the attack, a businessman in the community, Alhaji Tukur, who was initially kidnapped, was rescued by a joint team of military personnel and local residents. Thanks to this quick intervention, security forces managed to neutralize the four bandits, while one of them managed to escape with a gunshot wound.

All media reports consistently stated that the incident occurred in Aboki Community, Kaiama Kwara Local Government Area, not Kebbi State as claimed in the Facebook post.

To further verify the claim, we sought official press statements from the relevant authorities. Our search yielded a press statement by Kwara State Government confirmed that the incident occurred in Kaiama Local Government Area of ​​Kwara State.

We also checked it The official handle of the Kwara State Police Command and apparently it hasn’t been updated since July 17, 2026. Further searching took us to a HIT News reports noted that the Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, confirmed the incident.

Our investigation found that all credible media reports regarding the incident clearly stated that they were killed, but none reported that they were burned as claimed.

We also submitted the video to a Google reverse image search to verify whether there were any reports corroborating the claim that the video was burned. However, after conducting a search, we found no results related to this incident.

We also submitted the video to a Google reverse image search to verify whether there were any reports corroborating the claim that the video was burned.

Our search led us to several posts with images of vigilantes used to make these claims.

These results indicate that the images used by the plaintiffs had existed for many years before the recent claims were filed.

Conclusion

The claim that four bandits were killed and burnt in Aboki Community, Jega Local Government Area of ​​Kebbi State is a misleading claim.

Our investigation found that a similar incident occurred in Aboki Community, Kaiama Local Government Area of ​​Kwara State, not in Kebbi State, and the bandits were not burnt as claimed.

By: Mutalib Jibril

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