Movie set clip falsely depicted as jihadists given free passage at Nigerian military checkpoint
- Published on February 3, 2026 at 09:52
- 4 min read
- By Oluseyi AWOJULUGBE, AFP Nigeria
Nigeria has battled insecurity for more than a decade, with armed groups like Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) responsible for kidnapping and killing citizens. A video recently shared on X claims to show insurgents crossing a military checkpoint in Nigeria without intervention from the army. However, the claim is misleading; the video shows scenes filmed on a movie set and does not depict a real incident.
“Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters were reportedly seen moving in armored vehicles through military checkpoints, while soldiers looked on without intervening. What will you call this? (sic),” reads the caption of the video posted on X.
Shared more than 4,000 times since it was published on January 12, 2026, the footage shows a dusty expanse of land with men on the back of pickups driving past what appears to be a military checkpoint manned by a group of soldiers.
Onlookers can also be seen walking on foot and casually watching the trucks drive by -- an unlikely scenario during a militant invasion.
Voices in the background can also be heard speaking Yoruba, the language commonly spoken in Nigeria’s southwest, and a region unaffected by Boko Haram and ISWAP.
“I’m recording,” says a woman in the background, while a man is heard talking about how a camera is being handled.
Several comments under the post blamed Nigeria’s army for doing nothing to end the insecurity in the country.
“Welcome to Nigeria. Where students protesting against kidnapping are arrested and the bandits & kidnappers are having a peaceful race in front of the military. Can Nigeria ever get better???” wrote one user.
Others called for the intervention of the US military.
"If American military support doesn't come quick and steady, APC government will kill all innocent citizens of Nigeria," another commented.
Screenshots from the video were also shared on Facebook.
Nigeria has grappled with a jihadist insurgency in the country’s northeast since 2009, a conflict that has left more than 40,000 people dead and another two million displaced (archived here).
US President Donald Trump designated Nigeria as a country of “particular concern” on October 31, 2025, over allegations that radical Islamists were “killing the Christians and killing them in very large numbers”, a claim disputed by the Nigerian government (archived here).
The US later carried out airstrikes in Sokoto, Nigeria’s northwest, on Christmas Day, targeting camps linked to the Islamic State group (archived here).
However, the claim that the video shared online shows militants from Boko Haram and ISWAP getting free passage at a military checkpoint is misleading.
Movie set
A reverse image search on keyframes from the video led to an earlier version of the footage posted on Facebook on January 6, 2026, by an account with the username "Odeh O Prince" (archived here).
"Founder and CEO at Greatmind Films Production," the account's bio information reads.
The caption on the post with the video reads: “NB: This is behind the scene… it’s a movie set….. this is not real (sic)."
A separate comment under the post from the publisher clarified that the video was from a film production set.
”Guys, let's be clear. This is a movie set! (I forgot to add it to my caption that it’s a film set). Check my page for more behind-the-scenes content," it reads. "The Nigerian Army is intelligent and won't let bandits operate without a response. If you listen closely you will hear someone speaking in Yoruba language (I’m recording) pls and pls ooo it’s a film not AI or real life (sic).”
The edit history of the post shows that the video originally had no caption, which was only added on January 13, 2026, a day after the video was widely shared on X.
Another behind-the-scenes video posted by the account identifies the movie's title as “Unbroken” (archived here).
Other photos and videos posted by the Facebook account show actors including Nollywood star Francis Duru in military uniforms, with a film crew on the set (archived here). The posts also include the hashtag #movieset.
Duru's appearance in the footage sparked false claims that he had joined the Nigerian army, prompting the film producer to once again clarify that the screenshots used were from a movie set (archived here and here).
"How can he join army as a lieutenant General? Is this not funny to you. You guys should stop spraying false rumor…This is a movies set for christ sake… check my page to see more (sic)," the film producer wrote in response to one of the claims.
Duru also addressed the claims via his verified Instagram page on January 8, 2026, featuring a different image of himself in military uniform, and clarifying that it wasn't real. He further explained that he does indeed wear a military uniform in a film in which he plays lieutenant general, though the uniform is different (archived here).
Loosely translated from pidgin English, his caption reads: “This is not real, from the movie I am shooting where I am playing the role of a lieutenant general. It’s a film but this uniform is not the one I am wearing although it fits me but it’s a film. I can’t even join the Boy Scouts yet.”
We contacted the owner of the Facebook account that produced the film for further details but are yet to get a response.
AFP Fact Check has debunked other claims about insecurity in Nigeria, including one that citizens took rifles to church.
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