A video circulating on social media is purportedly showing bandits sharing bundles of cash in Nigeria.
In the nearly two-minute video, a woman is heard criticising Nigerian leaders for being complicit in the cash circulation.
“Nigeria is finished,” the woman said.
“Who are the people sponsoring these bandits?”
The woman also claimed that the bandits enjoy more rights than other citizens, permitting them to commit crimes without consequences.
“Nigerian government, what is going on? Tinubu’s government what is going on?” she asked.
The video was widely shared on WhatsApp.
CableCheck found that the video was uploaded to YouTube on May 2.
“Where is this?” the social media user asked.
Most of the 23 comments suggested Nigeria and asked if the Department of State Services (DSS) was aware of the situation.
So far, the video has gathered 3,772 views and 55 likes.
In a separate Instagram post on May 5, Olamisharp, a Nigerian blogger, posted the video, faulting the government for not taking action.
“This is the country where the oppressors show off…” he captioned the video for his 22.4k followers.
The video has gathered over 600 views.
But was the video filmed in Nigeria?
VERIFICATION
CableCheck analysed multiple screenshots of the viral clip using a reverse image search and found an earlier version uploaded to Facebook on December 16, 2024.
In the video, a male narrator is heard speaking in Arabic. CableCheck translated the caption using Google Translate.
“Watch a video documenting the looting of banks and markets by Al-Dagalo’s militia,” a caption in Arabic accompanying the video said.
“We used to say that Al-Dagalo’s militia is a militia specialized in theft, looting and destruction of resources.”
The video has 5.6k views.
In the clip, men dressed in camouflage show off wads of cash in bags and trucks, some strewn in heaps on the ground.
CableCheck observed that the wads of cash in the video were not naira.
According to the narrator, the video showed distraught members of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group, after the country decided to change its currency.
The RSF, led by Mohamed Dagalo, has been in a power tussle with the national army for state control. The situation has left hundreds of thousands dead and thousands displaced.
The war has also been marked with looting accusations against the RSF.
Last November, Sudan’s Central Bank announced the introduction of new banknotes.
The bank said the aim was to compel people to open bank accounts and control the frequent bouts of looting.
The RSF criticised the move and fuelled accusations of a hidden political agenda.
VERDICT
The video showing men displaying wads of cash is not from Nigeria. It was filmed in Sudan.
