FACT-CHECK: Did Nigeria, Niger Republic Seize Pile Of Guns From Bandits At Katsina Border?
An image has gone viral on social media purporting to show newly purchased AK-47 rifles seized from bandits through joint efforts of the Nigerian military and its Niger Republic counterpart.
The guns, according to several social media users, were seized in Katsina State — close to the border with the Niger Republic — by Nigerian and Nigerien troops. The rifles were alleged to have been paid for by bandits before they were intercepted by the troops.
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The social media accounts that shared the image attributed the weapons seizure to the Nigerian Government’s recent donation of N1.1 billion worth of Toyota Land Cruiser vehicles to the Niger Republic to fight insecurity.
The caption shared alongside the image was duplicated across the social media accounts.
It reads: “Flash🛎: President Muhammadu Buhari Helped Niger Republic To Secure Nigeria.
“Another breakthrough for Nigerian Military. Troops working alongside their Niger Republic counterparts in border towns of Katsina recover these AK-47 rifles already paid for by bandits. Our Security Challenges As A Country And People Will Soon Be Over.
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“The President Muhammadu Buhari Made A Honest And Sincere Decision To Assist Niger Republic To Secure Her Own Country And By Extension Nigeria Is Yielding Positive Results.
“Good Morning To The Progressives Family Only And Those Who Understands The Nitty Gritty Of Government And Governance.”
One Facebook user, Ayoade Ojeniyi, whose post had generated over 130 comments as of August 19, 2022, said: “We have started reaping from the result of the vehicles gift by Nigeria to Niger Republic.”
BACKGROUND
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Before this, the Federal Government had come under heavy criticism after investigative journalist, David Hundeyin, leaked a document from Nigeria’s budget office showing that President Muhammadu Buhari had approved the release of the huge sum for procurement of 10 units of the SUVs for Niger Republic.
Zainab Ahmed, the Minister of Finance, explained that the country needed to support its neighbours “to enhance their capacity to protect their countries, as it relates to security and also to Nigeria.”
But the government was criticized that the donation came at a time when Nigeria was grappling with low revenues, poor oil income, and the ongoing strike by university lecturers due to unpaid allowances, amongst others.
VERIFICATION OF CLAIM
CLAIM: “Another breakthrough for Nigerian Military. Troops working alongside their Niger Republic counterparts in border towns of Katsina recover these AK-47 rifles already paid for by bandits.”
THE WHISTLER did a reverse image search and traced the photo to several tweets made by different Twitter users between March and April, 2022 about the Russian/Ukrainian war.
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War Noir (@War_noir), a weapons analyst who has followed the war, tweeted the image on March 27, 2022, saying “Russian Forces have released a photo of allegedly captured weapons from #Ukrainian Troops in #Zaporizhzhia.”
The image was also used in a report published on March 28, 2022 by a Greek news website, claiming that the arms “were seized by the Russian forces in a warehouse of the Ukrainian army in Zaporizhia.”
A close look at the image further showed that it was watermarked in the Russian language.
VERDICT
The claim that Nigeria and Niger Republic troops recovered the said rifles from bandits at the Katsina-Niger border is FALSE.
