Fact-Check: How True is the Video Suggesting Boko Haram Regrouping in the North-East?
Claim: A viral video circulating online claims that Boko Haram insurgents are mobilizing and regrouping in North-Eastern Nigeria.
The video is accompanied by a caption stating, “This is what Zulum was talking about. The mobilization and regrouping by Boko Haram in the Northeast.” The claim further suggests that the Governor of Borno State, Babagana Umara Zulum, has warned about this resurgence.
In recent weeks, Governor Zulum has indeed expressed concerns that Boko Haram is staging a comeback after a series of attacks, allegedly reclaiming control of some areas in northeastern Nigeria. He also called for increased military support for troops battling the insurgency.
Borno State has been at the centre of Boko Haram’s 15-year insurgency, which has displaced over two million people and claimed thousands of lives, affecting both Christians and Muslims. At the peak of its influence in 2015, Boko Haram controlled large territories in the state before being pushed back by military efforts.
Verification: PRNigeria conducted fact-check using reverse image search and frame-by-frame analysis of the video. The footage shows armed men, some with their heads covered, riding motorcycles and military-style Hilux vehicles in a desert-like setting.
Crucially, PRNigeria discovered that the language spoken in the video is neither Hausa nor Arabic not even Kanuri, the dominant languages used by Boko Haram leaders like Muhammad Yusuf and Abubakar Shekau in their past propaganda videos. This raised initial doubts about the video’s origin.
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Further analysis determined that the terrain seen in the footage, arid and desert-like, is inconsistent with the Sambisa Forest, the known stronghold of Boko Haram.
Sambisa, located in Borno State, is a lush forested area with rivers like Ngadda and Yedseram, covering about 518 km². Once a popular safari destination, it has become infamous as a hideout for insurgents but lacks the desert features seen in the video.
PRNigeria’s reverse image search traced the footage to Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), a terrorist group based in the Sahel region, specifically in Burkina Faso. The clarification was confirmed by security analyst and counter-insurgency expert Zagazola Makama via a post on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle.
The video has no connection to Borno State or Boko Haram and warned that linking it to Governor Zulum’s recent statements is misleading and potentially dangerous.
JNIM is a Salafi-Jihadist group formed in 2017 through the merger of four Mali-based extremist groups: Ansar al-Din, al-Murabitun, the Macina Liberation Front (MLF), and the Sahara Emirate subgroup of al-Qa‘ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). Led by Iyad ag Ghali, JNIM has pledged allegiance to both al-Qa‘ida and the Taliban. The group operates across Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, exploiting local grievances to advance its extremist agenda.
Conclusion: The viral video does not show Boko Haram insurgents regrouping in Nigeria. Instead, it depicts fighters from JNIM in Burkina Faso and therefore has no association to Governor Zulum’s recent statement.
Verdict: PRNigeria concludes that the claim that Boko Haram insurgents are regrouping in the North-East, as depicted in the viral video, is FALSE.
By PRNigeria
