FACT CHECK: Old footage of the Nigerian army is used to depict the response to a bandit ambush

Claiming: User X @Palermo_seun shared a video depicting the resoluteness of the Nigerian army
response to alleged bandit ambush.

Indictment: FALSE. A reverse image search on Google shows that it is an old video clip. Already
online since January 2021.

Full Text

In Nigeria, insecurity is one of the major problems in the region, and the army is not left behind. That figure
Bandit attacks on military bases in Nigeria are quite worrying. This continues to cause fear
among citizens.

Recently, user X, @Palermo_seun, shared a videos (archived Here) where he claims that
Bandits tried to ambush Nigerian soldiers, but they responded quickly. A video shared on June 22, 2026 shows three Nigerian soldiers shooting sporadically into nearby bushes.

The caption read, “Video: Bandits try to ambush Nigerian soldiers, but these brave men respond quickly and decisively.”

In the video, three Nigerian soldiers are seen shooting sporadically into nearby bushes.
As of July 14, 2026, the video had 756,000 views, 6,100 likes, 485 reposts, and 485
bookmark, generating mixed reactions among commenters. Although some people believed the post,
others doubt its authenticity and novelty.

User X, Nigerian Defense News (@DefenseNigeria), commented, “This video is over 5 years old
old.”

Another X user, Pbarnchen (@Pbarnchen), who believed the post, commented, “Oh God willing
protect this capable man Can you imagine doing this without a helmet or bulletproof, I feel scared
they . One shot is all it takes, there is no room for error here.”

Part of the video seen on Facebook shows the three soldiers. Because the claim went viral and had the potential to cause fear among Nigerians, Ripples Nigeria decided to verify it.

Verification

Ripples Nigeria extracts key frames from clips and displays the clearest images to Google
reverse image search. The search took us to a similar video posted on Facebook in September
12, 2020.

The results also point to something else Facebook post on January 22, 2021, showing scenes from the video
clip.

To further verify the claim, Ripples Nigeria sought news reports from leading media
Verified outlets and channels from security agencies about soldiers responding to bandit ambushes.

Our search led us to publications by newspaper And anotherwhere soldiers repel attacks
suspected Lakurawa bandits in Kebbi and Sokoto in February and June 2026 respectively.

However, this publication is completely unrelated to the current claims.

Conclusion

The claim is false. Our findings show that this is not a recent video. The video first appeared online
in 2021.

By Mukhtar Jibril