PRNigeria Fact-Check Debunks Viral Video Allegedly Showing Nigerian Soldiers Abducted by Terrorists on Motorcycles

A video circulating on YouTube, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), WhatsApp, and other social media platforms purportedly showing Nigerian soldiers captured and carted away on motorcycles by terrorists has been found to be misleading, according to a PRNigeria fact-check.

The viral footage, dated June 8, 2025, and captioned “Nigerian Soldiers Carted Away With Bikes By Terrorists,” sparked widespread public outrage. In the clip, men in military fatigues are seen bound and seated on motorcycles, surrounded by armed militants. Social media users described the scene as a national embarrassment and questioned the competence of Nigeria’s armed forces.

Accompanying texts read: “What an insult and disgrace to our military. Being captured like rabbits and bundled into bikes by bandits. So disgraceful and pathetic!”

The disturbing content triggered a flurry of negative reactions, with many Nigerians attributing the incident to ongoing insurgent attacks in the country’s Northwest and North-Central regions, where insecurity from bandits and terrorists remains a pressing concern.

However, PRNigeria’s Fact-Check Desk launched an in-depth investigation to verify the authenticity of the video. The verification process involved visual analysis of the military uniforms, linguistic evaluation of spoken audio, consultations with military experts, and cross-referencing with official and media sources.

Key findings from the investigation revealed that:

Uniform Discrepancies: The soldiers’ fatigues in the video do not match the standard uniforms of the Nigerian Army. They notably lack the usual “NA” (Nigerian Army) insignia and unit identification codes typically present on official Nigerian military attire.

Language Analysis: Audio from the video, when analyzed, showed no usage of Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Pidgin, or English — the predominant languages used by Nigerian troops. Instead, French and local West African francophone dialects were faintly heard in the background, suggesting the clip likely originated outside Nigeria.

No Nigerian Confirmation: As of the time of reporting, neither the Nigerian Army nor any credible national news outlets had confirmed or reported an incident of this nature involving Nigerian soldiers. Official army websites and verified social media handles also made no mention of such an event.

Likely Origin: Some international media sources suggested that the video may have originated from Mali, where militants from Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM) recently attacked soldiers in the Boulkessi region. The uniforms and terrain in the video appeared more consistent with Malian or Beninese troops rather than Nigerian forces.

PRNigeria noted that this is not the first time disinformation targeting Nigerian security agencies has gone viral. In March 2025, the Nigerian Army had earlier debunked a similar viral video falsely claiming a mass shooting in Northern Nigeria. That footage was later confirmed to have originated from Burkina Faso and involved JNIM terrorists.

Conclusion: After careful examination of visual evidence, language cues, and official silence from Nigerian authorities, PRNigeria concluded that the individuals depicted in the video are not Nigerian soldiers. The viral claim is, therefore, misleading.

Verdict: MISLEADING – The video does not depict Nigerian soldiers being captured by terrorists, but is instead likely from a francophone West African country.

By PRNigeria