A video purportedly showing a United States military officer announcing that the U.S. military would “take over” the Nigerian Army to help end terrorism in the country has surfaced online.
The video, posted by singer and activist, Charles Chukwuemeka Oputa, also known as Charly Boy, shows a man dressed in a U.S. military uniform who appears to be giving an interview. In the clip, the individual is heard saying:
“The U.S. military will take it from the Nigerian Army, and they will do their best to end Boko Haram terror.”
The speaker also encouraged viewers to like and follow the page to “support” the alleged mission.
The accompanying caption read:
Humm, dem done land? Na only terrorist una come kill, or na something else una want? My people waiting una think?
Translated, this suggests that foreign troops may have arrived and questions whether their mission is limited to fighting terrorists or driven by other motives.
As of Thursday, December 18, 2025, the video had garnered over 300,000 views, 1,500 likes, 768 comments, and 675 reposts.
The post triggered concern among users, with many questioning the motive behind the purported U.S. intervention. Some interpreted the video as evidence of possible foreign interference in Nigeria’s security affairs.
One user, @pardox121, commented, “America is literally funding those terror groups. They are not doing that for free; they are definitely going to demand something from Nigeria later. Nothing is ever free.”
However, other users dismissed the claim, describing the video as fabricated.
Given the sensitive nature of the claim and its potential to mislead the public, The FactCheckHub subjected the video to verification.
CLAIM
Video shows U.S. military officer announcing takeover of Nigerian army
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show the claim is FALSE!
A keyword search was conducted to identify any official announcement or verified report indicating the presence of U.S. soldiers in Nigeria. No credible news organisation or official source has published such information.
Further examination of the video revealed inconsistencies commonly associated with AI-generated content. One of the microphones visible in the clip bore the name “Arise Mevon,” alongside a logo resembling that of Nigeria’s Arise News. However, the text appeared distorted, a known characteristic of AI-generated visuals—and no legitimate media organisation operates under the name “Arise Mevon.”
Additionally, the movement of the microphones during the interview appeared unnaturally swift and fluid, another indicator consistent with artificial intelligence–generated footage.
Closer inspection showed that the video was originally posted on TikTok, as indicated by the visible watermark and username. A review of the TikTok account, @ai_muna, revealed a clear disclaimer in the profile bio stating that the videos are “powered by AI.” The account predominantly features AI-generated content, including the video in question.
To further verify the findings, the clip was analysed using the AI-detection tool Hive Moderation. The results indicated a high level of manipulation, flagging the content as 99.9 per cent AI-generated overall, with 70 per cent AI-generated visuals, confirming that both the imagery and audio were largely produced using artificial intelligence.
THE VERDICT
The claim that the video shows a U.S. military officer announcing the takeover of the Nigerian army is false; it is an AI-generated video.
This report is republished from the FactCheckHub
Fatimah Quadri is a Journalist and a Fact-checker at The ICIR. She has written news articles, fact-checks, explainers, and media literacy in an effort to combat information disorder.
She can be reached at sunmibola_q on X or fquadri@icirnigeria.org