On March 2, 2024, a video circulated across various social media platforms with the caption “Children protest killings of their parents by bandits for three consecutive days in Katsina.” This comes amidst recurring bandit attacks in some communities in Katsina State, North West, Nigeria.
Subsequently, popular gossip blog “Instablog9ja” posted the video on X with the caption “Children protest k+llings of their parents by bandits in Katsina State.” As of the time of this report, the video has garnered over two hundred thousand views, along with over three thousand likes and retweets. There were various reactions from social media users with some commenting on the number of children milling around the streets, while allegedly protesting the killing of their parents.
Claim: Video shows children protesting the killing of their parents by bandits in Katsina State?
Verification:
CDD War Room found that on March 1, 2024, Punch Newspaper reported that scores of residents of Wurma community blocked the Katsina-Dutsin-Ma highway in Katsina State to protest the alleged incessant bandits attacks on their community. The villagers stormed the highway as early as 9-10 a.m, where they set up bonfires from dried items. The residents lamented that bandits had continuously attacked and raided their community in recent times. According to the report, the security operatives who visited the scene restored normalcy on the highway in the afternoon.
Premium Times also reported that the residents of Wurma and Bichi communities in Kurfi Local Government Area of Katsina State protested the incessant terrorist activities in the area. The protesters blocked the Dutsin-Ma – Katsina highway at about 10 a.m, where they burned corn stalks and tyres. With the highway blocked, travellers found themselves stranded, forced to navigate alternative routes through bush paths or turn back entirely.
The state governor visited the community to address both the protesters and community leaders. He vowed to continue the fight against terrorists in the state. He also called on the protesters to channel their energies towards supporting the Joint Task Force, members of the Community Watch Corps, and other security agencies. He said his administration would mobilise 100 security personnel to the community to ensure the safety of lives and property.
CDD War Room found that while there was a protest in Katsina on March 1, the video shared on Instablog9ja is not from the recent protest. A Google reverse image search shows that the video of the children was extracted from another incident of June 16, 2020 when hundreds of youths across Katsina State protested the killings and wanton destruction by gunmen in their respective localities. To verify the claim about children protesting, CDD War Room also spoke with different journalists who covered the March 1, protest. They debunked the claim of children protesting. They also confirmed that the protest on the Dutsima Highway was organised by communities which suffered bandits attacks recently. The journalists told CDD War Room that it was false for any media to claim that children carried out said protest.
Verdict: False
The video shared by popular gossip platform claiming children recently protested in Katsina is false. The protest was carried out by adults in the community and the video has no connection with recent events in Wurma Community in Katsina State.