A video circulating on social media has been used to suggest that terrorists are currently attacking Christians in Nigeria. However, a review of earlier versions of the footage and the online behaviour of accounts amplifying the claim raises questions about its context and whether it provides evidence of a current attack.
Checks using InVID and Google reverse-image search traced earlier appearances of the footage to March 2025, months before its recent resurgence on X, formerly Twitter. The video has also circulated with conflicting descriptions of the alleged incident, making it unreliable as evidence of the specific attack claimed in recent posts.
The footage was recently shared by an X account identified as @EYakoby, which posted: “BREAKING: Additional footage has been released showing Islamists massacring innocent Christians in Nigeria. Where is the outrage?”
However, earlier posts associated the footage with different incidents and locations. Some linked it to an attack in Benue State in June 2025, while others claimed it showed an incident in Ghana. Other versions associated it with attacks by Boko Haram terrorists in northeastern Nigeria.
These conflicting descriptions cast doubt on attempts to present the footage as evidence of a current attack on Christians in Nigeria.
The investigation did not establish the original date and location of the incident shown in the video, the identities of those involved or the group responsible for the violence. Neither did it establish a connection between the footage and the alleged ongoing attacks described in the recent posts.
Suspicious patterns among accounts amplifying the claim
Daily Trust also examined the online behaviour of some X accounts that amplified the video and associated claims to assess whether their activities raised questions about the credibility of the information’s distribution.
The examination identified three accounts for further scrutiny: @TonyL_01, @drcesardip and @MorEdge_Insight.
Some of the accounts displayed patterns characterised by frequent reposting of other users’ content or engagement primarily through replies, rather than the publication of substantial original material.
Such behaviour can be consistent with automated boosting, reply spam or coordinated amplification. However, it is not sufficient on its own to establish that an account is automated or part of a coordinated influence operation.
Human-operated accounts that curate content, promote particular causes or provide online support can exhibit similar patterns.
The investigation also identified repeated username changes on @MorEdge_Insight.
According to information returned by the Sorsa account-analysis tool used for the investigation, the account had changed its username three times within six months.
Repeated username changes may warrant further scrutiny, particularly when they occur alongside other unusual account behaviours. Such changes can have legitimate explanations, but they may also occur when accounts are sold, repurposed or used for different purposes.
The tool, available through the Sorsa API, provides access to public X data, including account profiles, posts and username histories. What the investigation established
Why the claim matters
The circulation of violent footage with unverified descriptions can distort public understanding of insecurity, particularly when claims involve religious or ethnic identities.
When an old video is presented as evidence of a current attack, audiences may draw conclusions about the location, perpetrators and scale of violence without reliable supporting information.
The amplification of such material by accounts exhibiting unusual engagement patterns can further increase its reach and create the impression that a claim has been independently corroborated when it may simply be circulating through repeated reposts.
Verdict: MISLEADING
The claim that the video shows terrorists currently attacking Christians in Nigeria is misleading because the footage was circulating online months before its recent resurgence and has been shared with conflicting descriptions of the alleged incident.
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