A Facebook user, Lucky Okechukwu Biafra, shared a video on September 15, 2026, showing armed men in military uniforms interrogating a civilian. The post claimed the video was filmed in Nigeria and called for a Biafra referendum, urging the United Nations to end the Sokoto Caliphate and Nigeria. The post garnered 3,000 views, five comments, 45 shares, and 125 likes by September 21, 2026. Some users believed the claim due to Nigeria's insecurity.
DUBAWA investigated the video and observed details that contradicted the claim. The soldiers' attire had a national flag patch with horizontal stripes of red, white, and black, along with a green triangle, matching the Sudanese flag. A Google search confirmed the uniform's color corresponds to Sudan's flag. This finding suggested the video might not be from Nigeria.
Further investigation involved language verification using Google Gemini, which identified the language spoken in the video as Sudanese Arabic. The transcription revealed the video was about a captured man being interrogated about his itinerary in the area. This information supported the conclusion that the video was not from Nigeria.
Reverse image searches on keyframes were conducted to verify the video. The footage was found to have been posted on Facebook earlier on July 25, 2026, by a user based in Tambul, a city in central Sudan. The user frequently posts videos related to men in military uniforms. Another verified Facebook user, Esmat Ismail Ali, shared the video on July 27, 2026, with Sudan's flag as their profile picture.
A Sudanese online publication, Sudan War Monitor, included the same footage in a report on clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces. The caption mentioned a captured Rapid Support Forces fighter in recent Kordofan battles. This corroborated the video's connection to Sudan.
Sudan is currently experiencing a devastating civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by General Abdel al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Mohamed Dagalo. The Sudanese Armed Forces recently announced control of al-Mazroub in North Kordofan state after fierce battles with the RSF.
In conclusion, the video of armed men interrogating a civilian is from Sudan, not Nigeria, making the claim linking it to Nigeria's security situation misleading. The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development implemented this fellowship with support from the European Union.
Key points
- The video of soldiers interrogating a man is from Sudan, not Nigeria.
- The Sudanese flag patch on the soldiers' uniforms helped verify the video's origin.
- The language spoken in the video was identified as Sudanese Arabic.
