The Nigerian Army has dismissed a viral audio clip alleging a violent confrontation between its troops and operatives of the Nigerian Police Force in Makurdi, Benue State, over the alleged release of a suspected Fulani terrorist kingpin.
In a statement on Sunday, Acting Assistant Director of Army Public Relations for the 401 Special Forces Brigade/Sector 1 Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), Captain Abdullahi Osabo, described the audio as false, malicious, and a deliberate attempt by mischief-makers to incite ethnic tension and erode public confidence in security agencies.
“The Nigerian Army has noted with grave concern the circulation of a highly misleading and malicious audio clip on social media,” the statement read. “The clip falsely claims that troops of Operation Whirl Stroke engaged in a violent confrontation with personnel of Operation Zenda Joint Task Force in Makurdi on June 4, 2025.”
The audio further alleged that the military had illegally released a Fulani terrorist suspect linked to the alleged killing of 23 civilians and a mobile police officer in Tulan community, Kwande Local Government Area.
Captain Osabo said a joint fact-finding investigation conducted by OPWS and the police found no record of such killings in Kwande LGA on May 11, 2025, as claimed. The Benue State Police Command also confirmed that no such incident was reported.
Furthermore, the Commander of the Operation Zenda base denied any confrontation with military personnel or any raid as alleged in the audio.
Osabo clarified that troops had earlier conducted a lawful intervention in Udei community, where a Fulani man was rescued from a mob and handed over to the police. He confirmed that two Fulani individuals mentioned in the audio are currently in police custody and are undergoing legal procedures.
“The viral audio is clearly a fabricated narrative, devoid of truth and aimed at falsely implicating military personnel and disrupting the collaborative security efforts of OPWS and its partners,” Osabo added.
The Army warned that it considers such misinformation a serious threat to national security and vowed to identify and prosecute those behind the audio.
Nzubechukwu Eze
