Video does not show fleeing residents of Zamfara state in Nigeria in 2024
IN SHORT: Zamfara state in northwestern Nigeria has suffered many attacks by so-called bandits over the years. But a video doing the rounds on social media, showing people fleeing, was not filmed in the area. It's been online since 2021.
Social media users in Nigeria have posted a video with the claim it shows a bandit attack in the Zurmi local government area in Zamfara state. But the video has been online for some time and the posts are misleading.
"BREAKING | Over 500 people have been kidnapped in Zurmi LGA, Zamfara State ... Families around that region can be seen migrating to unknown destinations, in an attempt to run away from the attackers," reads one Facebook post, dated 17 May 2024.
The post includes a video of a large crowd of people walking in the same direction, some carrying bags.
Zurmi is a local government area in the northwestern state of Zamfara.
Banditry in Zamfara state has escalated significantly in recent years, with armed groups carrying out violent attacks, kidnappings and other criminal activities. The state has become a focal point for insecurity in northwest Nigeria, affecting local communities and travellers alike.
On 15 May, it was reported that 500 people had been held captive by bandits in Zurmi in one of many attacks in the area.
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The Zamfara state government has reportedly implemented several measures to address the crisis, including the hiring of 2,646 "community protection guards".
Similar posts can be found here and here. (Note: See more instances listed at the end of this report.)
But does the video show families fleeing the area? We checked.
Video from 2021
This is not the first time the video has been linked to events in Nigeria. In 2022, the video was posted with the claim that it showed residents fleeing Niger state after an attack by bandits.
Using the video analysis tool Invid, Africa Check found that the video has been online since at least 2021.
A longer version of it was first posted on the Facebook page of SAIDA International, a German organisation "committed to the protection of girls' and women's rights".
The page said the video showed people in the West African country of Burkina Faso fleeing from "murderous gangs". While we cannot confirm this, the video does not show events in Zamfara state in 2024.
