No Evidence of Nigerian Army Preparing to Attack Niger Republic

The viral footage gathered so much reaction following the recent coup in Niger Republic. As of August 3, 2023, the post has generated over 330,000 views with 748 retweets and over 2, 000 likes.

A Twitter user, @Sprinter99800 tweeted the video with a caption that reads: “The Nigerian Air Force is reportedly deployed to Sokoto near the Niger-Nigeria border.”

The same claim was retweeted by @KoikiMedia, a verified Twitter account. The Twitter user @KoikiMedia tweeted with a caption that reads:

“The Nigerian @HQNigerianArmy is reportedly deployed to Sokoto near the Niger-Nigeria border.”

THE CLAIM
Video shows troops of the Nigerian army deployed to Sokoto in order to contain Niger Coup.

THE FINDINGS
FactCheckHub Debunks Misleading Claim: Video Not Related to Nigerian Army’s Alleged Attack on Niger Republic

FactCheckHub’s investigation reveals that the claim is misleading. The video, which purportedly shows troops of the Nigerian army preparing for an attack on Niger Republic, has been online before the recent incident involving the military coup in Niger Republic. The video was initially uploaded on July 23, 2023, by a Tiktok account named Real OGT, which frequently posts content related to military actions and lifestyles. The account handler confirmed that the video is unrelated to the alleged incident and actually depicts an operation in Enugu, not Sokoto.

Niger Republic is a landlocked nation with a population of approximately 27 million people, sharing borders with northern Nigeria, particularly the frontline states such as Sokoto, Katsina, and Borno. On July 26, 2023, a military coup resulted in the ousting of President Mohamed Bazoum, drawing global attention and concerns from member nations of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

The speculation surrounding the alleged deployment of the Nigerian Army to Sokoto for an aerial attack on Niger Republic has been fueled by the resurfacing of the old video online. However, FactCheckHub’s investigation conclusively proves that the video is not connected to the recent Nigerian government’s planned intervention into the ongoing coup in Niger Republic.

VERDICT: Misleading