False claims circulated amid surge in Boko Haram terror attacks in Nigeria
Claim: A series of viral posts and videos across YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, and X claim that Boko Haram has seized control of the North, with a renewed vow to turn Nigeria into an Islamic Republic.
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In recent weeks, Nigeria has witnessed a troubling resurgence of Boko Haram activity, particularly in the North-East. This has coincided with heightened public anxiety and a flood of associated content by influencers and news blogging platforms on social media.
This development follows the Borno State Government’s alarming statement that Boko Haram was regrouping in the Lake Chad axis. Following the statement, social media erupted with a surge of content reinforcing the narrative, including dramatic videos (archived here), unverified content (archived here), and viral YouTube videos (archived here). These claims have sparked fear, confusion, and renewed tension nationwide.
On January 7, 2025, a TikToker @Gistformore made a post claiming that the Boko Haram insurgency has taken over the North. She went further to claim that the terrorists attacked an Islamic School in a Warri Community, Delta State, killing one and injuring four.
In late April 2025, another video was shared by a Facebook user showing a white helicopter purportedly airdropping supplies for terrorists in the bush.
Similarly, on May 11, 2025, footage (archived here) of a helicopter allegedly supplying terrorists with weapons in the bush emerged. The footage was shared (archived here) across platforms, including X.
On April 30, 2025, a YouTube channel named Okocha Happy Marcel, with 103,000 subscribers, uploaded a video claiming that Boko Haram has renewed its vow to turn Nigeria into an Islamic State in the following year.
The video titled, “Breaking News: Bokó Haram Renews Vow To Turn Nigeria To Islamic Republic,” was shared with the hashtag #freennamdikanunow.
The 12-minute-long video, which allegedly featured Boko Haram members in troops coordinating in a desert area, has now gone viral even on WhatsApp.
As of Friday, May 30, 2025, the videos have generated 40,000 views, 206 comments, and several shares.
On May 2, 2025, the same video was used in this social media content by a Facebook account, Sharwama Face Comedy, which has about 61,000 followers.
Another post on the X by Biafra Daily Mirror (@biafra_daily) on May 14, 2025, claims that Boko Haram has threatened the Nigerian military.
The post reads: “Breaking News: We are coming, Boko Haram dares Nigeria military – Investigation reveals,” implying that Boko Haram has issued a direct threat to the Nigerian military.
Claims like these about Boko Haram renewing its vow to turn Nigeria into an Islamic Republic, and other activities, amplified by social media, risk escalating public fear and misinformation in an already volatile region.
Northeastern Nigeria, particularly Borno State, has endured over a decade of Boko Haram’s insurgency, resulting in over 35,000 deaths and displacing millions, according to UNHCR and CFR. Sensationalised narratives, like those on X and YouTube, can exaggerate the group’s current capabilities or intentions, potentially undermining trust in government and military efforts while fueling religious and ethnic tensions.
This prompted PRNigeria and DUBAWA to investigate the claims.
Verification
Claim 1: Boko Haram attacked an Islamic school in Warri
Our search revealed there is no recent information about an Islamic school attack in Warri, Delta State, contrary to the claim by TikToker @Gistformoreour.
The only recent attack in Warri was a crisis due to an attack on the Odion community, allegedly by “Itsekiri boys”. The Nation reported this on April 8. The area, which has reportedly suffered attacks in the past two years, allegedly experienced the burning down of a building amidst gunshots, and an uncertain number of persons sustained gun wounds.
In August 2024, there was an attack on an Islamic school in Yobe State, where suspected Boko Haram insurgents killed three students and injured one at the Faudiya Islamic boarding School in Geidam.
Verdict: False
Claim 2: Helicopter airdrops supplies for terrorists in the bush
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To address the footage purportedly showing a helicopter supplying arms to the terrorists, we took a screenshot of the helicopter’s tail boom from one of the videos. This screenshot revealed a registration number: 5N-GEJ.
We conducted a Google search of this number and found it to be a Nigerian Police Bell 412EP Helicopter. We also observed that the video shows personnel in a military patrol vehicle recording the scene.
While we couldn’t trace the origin of the video, the Nigerian Police released a statement clarifying that the video, which was making rounds on social media, captured a “legitimate security operation” in the Obajana axis of Kogi State.
The operation in question was carried out on Saturday, May 10, 2025, by joint security forces including local vigilante groups and hunters. Besides this clarification, no other facts support the claim that the helicopter was delivering food items to terrorists.
The second helicopter video, allegedly showing a helicopter airdropping supplies for terrorists in the bush, was fact-checked four years ago by HumAngle. The fact-check revealed that the video was taken during a routine African Parks helicopter resupply mission in the Central African Republic.
The same video was fact-checked three years ago by PRNigeria and most recently by Africa Check in July 2024, revealing its origin as the Central African Republic.
Verdict: Misleading
Claim 3: Boko Haram has renewed its vow to turn Nigeria into an Islamic State in the following year.
We used InVID fake news debunker to do a keyframe analysis of the YouTube video. We ran a reverse image search of the accompanying footage supporting the YouTuber’s claim of Boko Haram’s coordination for an Islamic Agenda. The majority of the results reinforced the same claim or featured similar visuals.
However, by zooming in on one of the keyframes from the video, many individuals were detected wearing earth-toned robes, loose-fitting clothing, and green headcovers covering the lower face—attire typical in desert regions for dust protection, as well as white turbans.
We analysed the clothing style and matched it against known online visual profiles of jihadist groups, confirming that the individuals in the footage are affiliated with Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), not Boko Haram, whose fighters typically wear military fatigues and tactical gear. While there isn’t a strict, standardised “uniform” like a conventional army, common elements observed reflect a telling pattern.
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).
JNIM fighters are typically seen in desert camouflage or traditional clothing in the region, such as loose-fitting tunics or robes (like a boubou or jellabiya), often in neutral or earth tones. These are practical for the climate and reflect local customs. The clothing style is typically accompanied by green head covers, commonly worn in various forms, such as a headwrap or scarf, and an accompanying white turban, also worn in various styles, including wrapped or circled across the head. Some may incorporate military-style gear such as tactical vests, ammunition belts, and slings for their weapons.
In videos like the one being verified, the outfits are seen in bright desert environments, suggesting practical choices influenced by operational needs and terrain.
Boko Haram/ISWAP, on the other hand, often wear military fatigues, either looted or mimicking Nigerian or Cameroonian army uniforms. ISWAP, in particular, shows a higher tendency towards wearing complete military uniforms, often in various camouflage patterns (brown, sand-colored, green). There’s a notable presence of fighters wearing black, including civilian clothes like trousers and shirts, often with black and grey camouflage, and black balaclavas or other more tactical facial coverings particularly among some factions of Boko Haram with an operational terrain that involves forests, swamps, and rural towns as against JNIM’s desserts, savannahs, arid zones.
The majority of the individuals in the footage were seen wearing complete attire, with later elements confirming their affiliation to JNIM.
The clarification was confirmed (archived here) by security analyst and counter-insurgency expert Zagazola Makama via a post on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle, further indicating that the video has no connection to Borno State or Boko Haram.
Speaking on the claims regarding the regrouping of Boko Haram terrorists in Northeastern Nigeria, Lawan Maigana, a journalist and resident of Maiduguri, stated that tension is palpable in the region.
“This kind of claim resurfaces every time there’s a spike in insecurity. While Boko Haram has always had an extremist agenda, saying they’ve set a one-year deadline to Islamise Nigeria seems like fear-mongering without credible evidence,” he stated.
“On the ground here in Maiduguri, there’s tension, yes — but also fatigue with recycled panic narratives that don’t match verified facts.”
Verdict: False
Claim 4: Boko Haram dares the Nigerian military
We found the claim that Boko Haram issued a direct threat to the Nigerian military to be false. Our online search revealed no credible “investigation” reported on the claim.
While Boko Haram has been active in North-Eastern Nigeria, with recent attacks resulting in significant casualties, these actions have not been accompanied by publicly issued threats of the nature described in the claim.
Verdict: False
Conclusion
Amidst the recent escalation in Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria, the surge in social media content across platforms appears to amplify a misinforming narrative beyond what is supported by available data. While Boko Haram activity has increased, as confirmed by government officials and news outlets, specific claims of a renewed vow for an Islamic Republic, coordination with state actors, and attacks in areas like Warri are not accurate. All five claims are invalid, primarily driven by misattributed or manipulated media content. The claims are therefore false and misleading.
Verdict: Misleading. A thorough analysis and investigation of the claims circulated on social media reveals a pattern of unverified, fabricated, and sensationalised social media content used to amplify the narrative of Boko Haram control.
