By Yisau Babatunde
Claim: Are bandits carrying out weapon training in Sokoto?
A report widely shared on social media and published by The Whistler alleges that armed bandits loyal to notorious kingpin Bello Turji are conducting organised weapons training in parts of Sokoto State.
The report claims that fighters are receiving military-style training in communities including Bingabale Kudu, Bafarawa East, Bargaja and Gebe in the eastern axis of the state.
VERDICT
Misleading
Available report indicates that the allegation originated from a named civil society called movement for social justice and good governance which has been reported by other multiple credible media organisations like Punch Newspaper, Vanguard News. Also, Vanguard News have reported that The Nigerian Army has also acknowledged receiving intelligence relating to the allegation and says security operations are ongoing.
However, this investigation found no independently verifiable open-source evidence including geolocated photographs, authenticated videos, satellite imagery or eyewitness documentation, proving that organised weapons training is currently taking place in the named communities.
The claim that bandit groups operate camps where recruits receive weapons instruction is supported by previous security assessments and conflict research. However, the specific allegation concerning the reported locations in Sokoto remains unverified.
BACKGROUND
For years, eastern Sokoto has remained one of the epicentres of armed banditry in Nigeria's North-West.
Communities bordering Zamfara State have experienced repeated attacks, mass kidnappings, cattle rustling and violent clashes involving criminal groups linked to the network of Bello Turji, one of Nigeria's most wanted bandit leaders.
Against this backdrop, The Whistler published a report alleging that Turji's fighters were undergoing organised weapons training in Sokoto.
The report was subsequently amplified across Facebook, X and other social media platforms, where many users interpreted it as confirmation that terrorist-style training camps had been established inside the state.
Given the potential security implications, this investigation examined the origin of the claim, the evidence supporting it and whether independent verification exists.
Given Nigeria's worsening security crisis and the potential implications of such an allegation, Digest Press investigated whether publicly available evidence supports the claim.
FINDINGS
Contrary to the impression created on social media, The Whistler did not originate the allegation.
The earliest traceable source when conducted through Reverse Image Search using keyframes from the Whistler’s post showed Basharu Altine, Sokoto State Coordinator of the Movement for Social Justice and Good Governance as the original source of the information.
In the Viral Video, Altine, when speaking in Hausa, alleged that intelligence available to his organisation indicated that fighters loyal to Bello Turji had established training activities in communities around Bingabale Kudu, Bafarawa East, Bargaja and Gebe.
When Digest Press scanned through the comment section of the post, the commentators expressed anxiety, fear and unsettlement.
Part of the comment reads:
Mika'el Aliyu: “All your information is always true. I swear the government know all the workers of these cursed terrorists and they know where they are. May God cursed all involved in this terrorism.”
Ismail Mohammed: “But among the people in this town are those giving Turji and other terrorists in the forest where to attack and arrest and the information on the move made by our security agents. You see half of the problem is with you people living in that area.”
Ibrahim Saleh Mai Samira: “May Allah bring an end to these tyrants.”
Ikeagwuchi Godwin commented: "The northern region is the real problem of the country; all the evil things always come out from the Northern states, kidnapping, banditry, killing and criminals; they all originate from the Northern region. Why, can't the rest of the people ask the North to go their separate ways for peace to rain? Very sad indeed, mad people everywhere.
The post has generated 579 likes, 60 comments, 12.9k views with 135 shares.
The allegation was subsequently reported by several national newspapers including Punch, Vanguard and The Whistler and Premium Times.
This shows that the reports are based on a named source rather than anonymous social media speculation.
Digest Press made a review of reports published by different news media organisations and found that most relied on the same underlying allegation rather than independent field investigations.
Despite several media houses publishing the story, none presented independently any verified evidence such as field observations, authenticated video footage or satellite imagery confirming that weapons training was taking place.
Digest Press found out that after the publication of the allegation, According to a Vanguard report, the Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations, 8 Division, Lt. Col. Osoba Olaniyi, said the military was aware of the intelligence reports and was assessing the situation.
Importantly, from the report, it shows the Army neither dismissed the allegation as false nor publicly confirmed that weapons training was taking place.
Further investigation by Digest Press found no official statement on the websites or verified social media accounts of the Nigerian Army or the Nigeria Police Force responding to the allegation. The only reported official reaction was published by Vanguard, which quoted the Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations, 8 Division, Lt. Col. Osoba Olaniyi, as saying the Army was aware of the intelligence reports and was taking appropriate operational measures. The Sokoto State Police Command had not publicly commented at the time of publication.
Further findings by Digest Press also indicate that the communities identified in the reports lie within eastern Sokoto, close to the Zamfara border. The locations mentioned include Bingabale Kudu, Bafarawa East, Bargaja, and Gebe, all described as communities within the eastern senatorial district of Sokoto State where the alleged training was said to be taking place.
Previous reporting by Premium Times shows that the eastern Sokoto corridor, particularly the Sabon Birni axis along the Sokoto–Zamfara border, has long been identified as an area of operation for Bello Turji and his network.
Also, this reporter listened and transcribed the wordings in the viral video used in alleging that Bello Turji men are currently undergoing weapons training in Sokoto but what they are saying is totally different from the caption used in the video.
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| A Screenshot of the Video with the alleged caption |
From the voice speaking in Hausa but transcribed to English says: I thank God because some unidentified thieves have come to my fellow Fulani camp in Sokoto and stole their cows but we're able to pursue them, kill them, collect back the stolen cows and still seize some of their weapons, Aliamdulilah.
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| Result of the Video image from reverse image search |
Reverse image search gives a detailed information about the viral video used in alleging the allegations which is a different narrative from the claim that Bello Turji men are undergoing weapons training in Sokoto.
However, despite extensive searches by Digest Press across news archives, social media platforms and publicly available sources, this investigation did not locate any geolocated photographs from the alleged training sites; authenticated videos showing the reported exercises; satellite imagery indicating newly established camps; eyewitness testimonies independently confirming the ongoing weapons drills or any official intelligence either from the Nigerian Army or Nigerian Police Force page released to either debunk or acknowledge the allegation.
When this reporter reached out to the Nigerian Army PRO, he said he had no intelligence regarding the allegations and directed this reporter to reach out to the State PRO for more details. When contacted, the Sokoto State PRO, didn't pick his call nor respond to the message sent as at the time of publishing this report.
CONCLUSION
This investigation found that the allegation of weapons training involving fighters loyal to Bello Turji which was based on a named intelligence source, has been widely reported by credible media organisations and has prompted reported acknowledgment from the Nigerian Army by Vanguard News claiming is under assessment.
However, no independently verifiable open-source evidence currently confirms that organised weapons training is taking place in the named communities in Sokoto State.
The investigation therefore concludes that while the allegation is credible and consistent with known patterns of bandit operations in Nigeria's North-West, the claim of bandits undergoing weapons training in Sokoto remains MISLEADING and not conclusively established.
This report is published under Muneer Yaqub's NACJ-UDUS Next-Gen Fact-check and OSINT Fellowship.