A viral claim suggesting that Nigerian soldiers brought down an Iranian drone in Sokoto State has been investigated and found to be false.
The allegation began after a Facebook user shared a video claiming that troops shot down an Iranian drone in Dan Musa village in Sokoto State. The post quickly gained traction online, attracting more than 30,000 views, over 1,000 reactions, hundreds of comments, and about 100 shares. While some social media users questioned the authenticity of the claim, others appeared to believe it.
The video surfaced at a time of heightened tension in the Middle East following the reported assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, in an operation allegedly carried out by the United States and Israel. The development intensified regional tensions, with Iran vowing retaliation. Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, said the country’s military would strike enemy bases in the region, describing the killing of Khamenei as a “declaration of war against Muslims.”
Due to the sensitive geopolitical situation and the rapid spread of the video, fact-checking organisation Dubawa examined the footage to verify the claim.
Investigators found that the video appeared to show a crashed unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) lying on green vegetation in a rural environment. However, several inconsistencies were identified.
One major issue was the location mentioned in the post. The video claimed the incident occurred in Dan Musa village in Sokoto State. However, there is no confirmed place with that name in Sokoto. Instead, Dan Musa is a local government area located in Katsina State, raising doubts about the credibility of the claim.
Further investigation traced the footage to Rudaw Media Network, specifically its Turkish-language service, which had earlier published the video. The translated caption from the Turkish post stated that the drone crash occurred in Gırdaçal village near Erbil.
Erbil, located in northern Iraq, has recently experienced missile and drone attacks targeting US military bases. These attacks were reportedly carried out by Iraqi Shiite militia groups in support of Tehran.
Additionally, the Nigerian Defence Headquarters and other military authorities in Nigeria have not issued any statement confirming that an Iranian drone entered Nigerian airspace or was intercepted by troops.
Meanwhile, amid the broader tensions between the United States and Iran, Donald Trump stated that the US military operation against Iran could continue for up to four weeks. The conflict escalated after the killing of Khamenei, with Iran responding through retaliatory strikes.
Overall, findings show that the viral claim about Nigerian troops shooting down an Iranian drone in Sokoto is inaccurate, as the video actually originated from a separate incident in Iraq.
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