Fact Check: Did New Video Show Bello Turji, Other Terrorists Boasting They Are Unstoppable?
Claim: A Facebook post shared by Hausaland Magazine on Aug. 14, 2026, claimed that a newly emerged video showed Fulani terrorists boasting that no one can stop them.
Full Text
On Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, a Facebook page, Hausaland Magazine, shared a video showing several armed men holding guns in an open space, with one of them speaking.
The post (archived here) was captioned, “Horrible. Video just emerged – Fûlani terrorists proudly boast: ‘No one can stop us. We kill whoever we want.’”
The post further alleged that the development was not merely banditry but part of an alleged pattern of ethnic land grabbing, killings and displacement across different parts of Nigeria.
Within a few hours, the post attracted 117 likes, 67 comments, 172 shares and 17 bookmarks.
Some of the comments reflected ethnic and political interpretations. Ogechukwu Marcus wrote: “They can’t operate in Igboland because we are not cowards.”
Ernest Okoro commented: “Hausa people are keeping quiet soboda adini muslunci, they should keep it on.”
Another user, Ude Emenike, wrote: “Mazi Nnamdi Kanu have seen and said it all the earlier we all stand up against this the better for us all.”
The nature of the post and the reactions it generated prompted an investigation into the video’s origin and recency.
Verification
This investigation first conducted keyword searches from the caption to determine whether credible media organisations had recently reported the video or the alleged incident. The search did not produce credible reports establishing that the footage was newly recorded or had recently emerged.
To trace the video’s origin, the investigation extracted screenshots from different frames and ran them through a reverse image search using Google Lens.
The search led to a Facebook post by Abdullahi Haruna Gobir, who shared the same video on Dec. 27, 2024.
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Abdullahi’s post was captioned, “General Christofa, this man if time and care are not taken, this Bello Turji will tarnish your image in the history of the Nigerian Army. You better do something to safeguard your image and that of the Nigerian Army. With due respect, Sir. This is my advice to you, sir.”
In the caption, he warned about Bello Turji and urged the military authorities to take action to protect the Nigerian Army’s image.
Further searches found the same video on the Facebook page of Nishadi TV, where it was captioned in Hausa, “Dan ta’adda Bello Turji ya sake Sakin sabon bidiyon da ke bai wa gwamnati umurni. Anya akwai gwamnati Mai Cikakken iko a Najeriya?”
DUBAWA translates this caption to mean “Terrorist Bello Turji has released another new video giving orders to the government. Is there really a government with full authority in Nigeria?”
Findings also show that Ripples Nigeria published a report on Dec. 27, 2024, featuring a screenshot from the same video.
The report, titled “‘If you’re man enough, come out and fight,’ Bello Turji dares Army spokesman, Gen Buba (Video),” identified the person in the video as notorious terror kingpin Bello Turji.
According to the report, Turji challenged the Nigerian Army to engage him and his fighters in an all-out battle. The report also quoted Turji as threatening residents of Shinkafi, Isa, Zurmi and surrounding areas over their alleged cooperation with security agencies.
The Dec. 27, 2024 publication by Ripples Nigeria, and earlier Facebook posts establish that the footage was already circulating online in December 2024, long before Hausaland Magazine shared it on Aug. 14, 2026.
The evidence therefore contradicts the Facebook post’s description of the footage as “just emerged.”
Conclusion
The video shared by Hausaland Magazine is not recent, contrary to the claimant. Available evidence traces the same footage to December 2024, when it was circulated and reported in connection with notorious bandit leader Bello Turji and his gang.
Verdict: Misleading. The video was neither recently recorded nor newly emerged, as claimed. Evidence shows that the same footage was already circulating online in December 2024 and was reported at the time in connection with notorious bandit leader Bello Turji and his gang.
This fellowship is implemented by the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) with support from the European Union.
