The Nigerian Army and the Sokoto State Police Command have debunked a viral social media report claiming that greater than 100 civilians, 10 troopers and a Mobile Police officer have been killed in an alleged assault on a neighborhood in Sokoto State.
The claim, printed by a Facebook web page, Hausaland Magazine, on October 5, 2026, alleged that armed males attacked a neighborhood recognized as “Garin Gobir Gindin”, killing greater than 100 civilians and safety personnel and kidnapping a number of others.
The submit, which described the alleged incident as a “genocide” and a “war on Hausa”, attributed the assault to “Fulani terrorists” and claimed that the demise toll was rising.
The viral submit included a picture exhibiting a number of immobile people, some dressed in military-style clothes and others in civilian apparel. It additionally attracted feedback from social media customers who appeared to just accept and amplify the allegations, with some making inflammatory statements focusing on ethnic teams.
As half of its verification course of, a DAILY POST correspondent searched geographical databases and neighborhood gazettes referring to Sokoto State however discovered no document of a neighborhood often known as “Garin Gobir Gindin”.
The investigation additionally recognized a discrepancy in the date acknowledged in the submit. Although the publication claimed the assault occurred on Tuesday, October 5, 2026, that date fell on a Monday.
As half of efforts to ascertain the authenticity of the claim, the correspondent carried out a Google reverse-image search to ascertain the picture’s origin and decide whether or not it had beforehand appeared on-line in reference to one other incident. However, the search produced no credible supply linking the picture to the alleged assault in Sokoto.
Reacting to the report, the appearing Deputy Director of Army Public Relations on the Nigerian Army’s 8 Division and Sector 2, Operation FANSAN YAMMA, Lieutenant Colonel Olaniyi Osoba, dismissed the allegation.
“There was no such attack involving the reported mass casualties in the state,” he mentioned.
Similarly, the Public Relations Officer of the Sokoto State Police Command, Deputy Superintendent of Police Ahmed Rufai, refuted the claim.
“This incident did not occur within Sokoto,” he mentioned.
The false report has raised considerations in regards to the potential unfold of misinformation that would heighten ethnic tensions, provoke hostility and create pointless panic, notably in communities already affected by insecurity.
