A video circulating on social media, allegedly showing bandits entering Nigeria from Ghana, has been found to be fake. The video, posted by Issiaka The Blogger on his Facebook page on August 28, 2026, claimed to show bandits entering Nigeria and sparked widespread concern and debate. However, an investigation by Dubawa, a fact-checking organization, has revealed that the video is a fabrication, created using AI-generated images.
The video was broken into three parts, showing armed men shooting in the air, others sitting in a white bus driving through a deserted area, and a group of men on motorcycles entering a forest. The video garnered significant attention, with 2,200 views, 90 likes, 42 shares, and 63 comments on Facebook. However, Dubawa's investigation found that the images used in the video were not recent and had been used by various news outlets to illustrate reports on bandit activities.
Dubawa used the InVID verification plugin and reverse-image searches to verify the authenticity of the video. The results showed that the images used in the video were from a 2023 report by People's Gazette, which used similar images to illustrate a report on bandits killing soldiers and civilians in Kaduna. Further investigation revealed that similar images had been used by Entertainment TV and BusinessDay to illustrate reports on bandit activities.
The investigation also found that the images used in the video had been used on various social media platforms, including X, Instagram, and Facebook, to illustrate reports on bandit activities. The use of these images raised concerns about their authenticity, leading to an investigation into their origin. The results suggested that AI had been used to create the video, with an analysis by HIVE Detect indicating that 42% of the video was generated using AI.
Further analysis using VigilAI, a tool used to detect AI-generated content, revealed that the video was 98% likely to be fake. The investigation also found that the video had been created using AI image-to-video tools, which convert images into videos. This raised concerns about the ease of creating fake videos using AI and the potential for such videos to be used to manipulate public opinion.
The creator of the video, Issiaka The Blogger, had claimed that the video showed bandits entering Nigeria and had sparked concerns about the security situation in the country. However, the investigation revealed that the video was a fabrication, created to deceive the public. The use of AI-generated content to create fake videos is a growing concern, and this investigation highlights the need for fact-checking and verification to ensure the accuracy of information.
In conclusion, the video claiming to show bandits entering Nigeria from Ghana has been debunked as fake. The investigation revealed that the video was generated using AI and was created using images that had been used in various news reports on bandit activities. This highlights the need for caution when consuming information on social media and the importance of verifying information before sharing it.
Key points
- The video was found to be 98% likely to be fake, generated using AI image-to-video tools.
- The images used in the video were not recent and had been used by various news outlets to illustrate reports on bandit activities.
- The investigation was conducted under the program of the Center for Journalism and Innovation (CJID) with funding from the European Union.
