FACT-CHECK: Viral Video Claiming Bandits Are Exporting Mined Minerals by Helicopter Is Not From Nigeria

BY: Rasheedat Abidiesin

CLAIM: 

An X user via video claimed that bandits in Northern Nigeria are exporting mined minerals in sacks on a Turkish Military Grade Transport Helicopter in exchange for Firearms.

VERDICT: 

Misleading! Investigation by FactCheckAfrica showed that the video was filmed in Sudan, unrelated to Nigeria.

FULL TEXT: 

In recent months, Nigeria have experienced incessant killings and kidnapping linked to terrorism in Nigeria. 

On Saturday, 6th June, 2026, a video circulated on Facebook, claiming that the bandits in Northern Nigeria are exporting mined minerals in sacks on a Turkish Military Grade Transport Helicopter in exchange for firearms.

The Facebook video uploaded by “Justice Ozobi,” generated over 3,300k likes, 893 comments, 2,400 shares.

Meanwhile, the claim has generated widespread reaction online, with users questioning the role of foreign actors in Nigeria mining industry while expressing concern over alleged illegal exploitation of the country’s natural resources.

A look at the  comment section showed that most users believed the narrative to be true.

For instance, Steve Dike said, “so na like this Nigeria don be now, am so ashamed to be a Nigerian.”

Another user, Chinedu Israel stated “The Nigerian government is really aware of the terrorists, there’s no way Turkish aircraft will land in Nigeria without the knowledge of the government.”

VERIFICATION: 

FactCheckAfrica did a manual analysis on the video and observed that the helicopter registration number clearly displayed RA-25659 is a Russian made Mil Mi- 8MTV-1 manufactured by Kazan helicopter, one of the biggest and largest manufacturers of helicopters in the world.

Further investigation revealed that the aircraft is a Russian made Mil Mi- 8MTV-1 (registration RA-25659) belonging to Nizhnevartovst Air Enterprise, a company involved in UN and humanitarian contracts, specifically under the contract to support the United Nations and the World food Programme

Having this information, we further extracted  keyframes  from the viral video and subjected it to a reverse search to determine the origin and basis of the photograph and also identify the aircraft involved, which showed that the video was circulating from  June 6, 2026.

Furthermore, this reporter manually examined the appearance and uniform of the military personnel in the video and discovered that the camouflage-style clothing, their attire, insignia and operational environment did not correspond with standard Nigerian military formations or known Nigerian mining security operations.

Meanwhile, the Nigeria security agencies have previously clarified that such misinterpreted footage often depicts legitimate, authorized missions.

There are no  reliable reports from well established, reputable media houses, security agencies, aviation authorities shown in this video that link it to illegal mining activities, banditry in Nigeria.

CONCLUSION: 

Findings showed that the video of bandits exporting mined minerals in sacks on a Turkish Military Grade Transport Helicopter in exchange for Firearms was not filmed in Northern Nigeria as claimed. 

This report was published under Muneer Yakub’s NACJ-UDUS Next-Gen Fact-check and OSINT Fellowship