#FALSE… Video featuring Army personnel in altercation with policemen is not recent

Claim – An alleged “recent” video showcases an altercation between an army official and a policeman.

FALSE: the exact origin of this video cannot be categorically stated although extensive search indicates this video originated sometime in 2018.

However, what is certain is that it definitely did not originate in 2019. It is essentially disinformation intended to spread fear amidst growing concerns of unrest between the two parties; and as such, should be disregarded!

Full Story

A recent viral video showcasing an altercation between army officials and policemen has been trending on various social media platforms. Professor Chidi Odinkalu is perhaps one of the most prominent influencers to share this.

His tweet garnered over 42K views, 901 retweets and 842 likes at the time this fact check was conducted.

The video featured a police officer with a torn uniform in a serious brawl with an army official. Several parties from the two sides tried to intervene either by separating the fight or providing backup.

Another police officer was shown shooting into the air apparently in a bid to separate the fighting people but all to no avail.

According to some people in the comment section, the video alludes to a 2014 incident which was resolved.

This post comes at a time when tensions are high between both parties and the timing is not a coincidence. The killing of three policemen in Taraba state is brought to mind.

The policemen were apparently transporting an alleged kidnap kingpin into custody when they were killed by soldiers. This is perhaps the foundation for the unrest between the two forces; as the soldiers were accused of killing policemen and setting free a known criminal. However, the kidnap kingpin was re-arrested some days ago by the police.

Verification

While it may be difficult to accurately ascertain the authenticity of videos, determining the date of posting is feasible and very useful.

An extensive search on YouTube and the internet revealed May 9, 2018 as the initial date of posting. It was posted by Omojesu Mark and titled “Army and police clash in Lagos.”

Hotspot Nigerian forum, a fellow YouTube channel posted it the following day with the title: “Nigerian police vs Nigerian soldiers engage in serious brutal fight at Ijora 7up, Lagos.” Several other iterations have ensued since.

Conclusion

The video definitely did not originate in 2019. It is essentially disinformation intended to spread fear amidst growing concerns of unrest between the two parties; and as such, should be disregarded!

This fact-check was done by a Dubawa Fact-checking Fellow in collaboration with The Nation Newspaper.