Is It True That Nigerian Troops Shut Down Iranian Drone in Sokoto? Fact Emerges
- The claim that Nigerian troops have shut down an Iranian drone in the northwest state of Sokoto, Nigeria, has been fact-checked
- A Facebook user had made the claim while sharing a video, which has started generating reactions and being shared on social media
- The video emerged amid the escalation of tension in the Middle East following the assassination of the Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, by the US and Israel
Following the escalated tension in the Middle East after the United States and Israel assassinated the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, there have been reports of drones being deployed in surveillance and attacks across the region.
The death of Iran's Supreme Leader has escalated the tension in the Middle East as Iran vowed to avenge the death of Khamenei. President Masoud Pezeshkian disclosed that Iran's military would crush the bases of the enemy in the region, while describing the death of the Iranian leader as a 'declaration of war against the Muslims'.
Source: Twitter
Facebook user makes false claim
It was on this backdrop that a Facebook user took to Facebook and shared a video of an alleged Iranian drone that lost its way into Nigeria and claimed that the Nigerian troops in Dan Musa village in Sokoto shot down the drone.
As of the time of writing this report, the video has gained over 30,000 views, over 1000, more than 500 comments and about 100 shares. There have been mixed reactions about the video, with some social media users dismissing it while others seem to believe it.
Because of the sensitivity of the geopolitical context of the claim and the engagement it has gathered, the video was investigated by Dubawa.
According to Dubawa, a careful examination of the video showed what looked like a crashed Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) on lush green grass in a rural area. However, there are several inconsistencies about the viral video.
Sokoto: Fake video from Dam Musa village
Specifically, the video mentioned that the incident happened in Dan Musa Village in Sokoto, but there was no confirmation of such an area in the North West state. Rather, Dan Musa is a local government area in Katsina. The discrepancy then weakened the credibility of the claim.
The origin of the footage was then to Rudaw Türkçe, the Turkish-language service of Rudaw Media Network, an Erbil-based media organisation, which earlier published it.
Translation of the Turkish caption on the video reads “#VIDEO – An Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicle crashed in Gırdaçal village, affiliated with Erbil.”
Erbil is an Iraqi city, where missile and drone attacks against the military bases belonging to the US were confirmed. The attacks were carried out by the Iraqi Shiite militia groups in solidarity with Tehran. Also, the Nigerian Defence Headquarters or any military authority has not confirmed that an Iranian drone entered Nigeria and or was intercepted.
Source: Getty Images
Trump speaks on the attack on Iran
Legit.ng earlier reported that President Donald Trump of the United States has disclosed that the military operation against Iran could go on for about four weeks.
Trump stated this while addressing the unrest in the Middle East following the assassination of the Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The US and Israel assassinated the Iranian leader in a bid to effect regime change, with Iran launching retaliatory attacks.
Source: Legit.ng
