FACT-CHECK: Army’s video evidence for killing of ‘ISWAP media operator’ is seven years old

Nearly two weeks after the Nigerian military announced that its troops had killed a media operative of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) during a night attack in Borno State, it released screenshots from a video it said showed the terrorist group acknowledging the man’s death.

The military identified the slain operative as Abu Salim al-Barnawi, describing him as a former terror commander who later became one of ISWAP’s chief photographers and propaganda operatives. It argued that the obituary released by the group demonstrated the growing pressure being mounted by troops under Operation Hadin Kai, a joint task force in the North-east.

The acting spokesperson for the task force, Mohammed Goni, said the killing of Mr al-Barnawi reflected the deterioration of the insurgents’ media machinery.

However, PREMIUM TIMES’s findings have shown that the video cited by the military was produced about seven years ago, long before the operation in which it claimed Mr al-Barnawi was killed.

The military’s claim has also gained significant traction online. As of 22 July, its posts had attracted 2,000 likes, over 170 comments and 154 shares on Facebook. On X (formerly Twitter), the post had garnered 30,000 views, including 235 likes, 77 reposts and 23 comments.

This has helped amplify the claim to thousands of users.

The military’s claim

On 12 July, troops of Operation Hadin Kai repelled what the military described as a failed ISWAP night attack on their position at Cross Kauwa in Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State.

Mr Goni, the task force spokesperson, said troops killed an unnamed ISWAP cameraman and recovered a Sony camcorder containing valuable intelligence.

According to him, footage recovered from the camera showed that the attack was coordinated by four senior ISWAP commanders working alongside three foreign terrorist facilitators, including a Palestinian trainer and a Moroccan described as a medical doctor.

Nine days later, Mr Goni issued another statement identifying the deceased as Mr al-Barnawi.

He described him as a former terror commander who had transitioned into ISWAP’s media department, where he was responsible for photographing attacks, filming operations and producing propaganda intended to recruit new members.

To support that claim, the military circulated screenshots from what it described as an ISWAP obituary video, saying the footage showed the group acknowledging Abu Salim’s death.

“The publication is a direct confirmation of the increasing pressure being exerted by Operation HADIN KAI,” Mr Goni said.

“It also reflects the growing difficulty the terrorists face in replacing experienced operatives who have been systematically eliminated through sustained military operations,” he added.

PREMIUM TIMES’ verification

To independently verify the claim, PREMIUM TIMES carried out a frame-by-frame examination of the video shared by the military, analysed visual production markers embedded in the footage and reviewed the closing credits.

This newspaper also translated the Arabic narration using an artificial intelligence-assisted transcription and translation tool. The translation was subsequently reviewed and independently cross-checked by an Arabic language specialist familiar with jihadist propaganda to ensure its linguistic and contextual accuracy.

In addition, PREMIUM TIMES consulted researchers who have spent years monitoring Boko Haram and ISWAP media operations across the Lake Chad Basin.

Their findings converged on the same conclusion.

The obituary video predates the July 2026 military operation by approximately seven years.

A review of the closing frames shows the production carries the Islamic year 1441 AH. This corresponds to approximately 2019–2020 in the Gregorian calendar, indicating that the video was produced years before the Cross Kauwa operation in which the military said Mr al-Barnawi was killed.

Nothing in the footage suggests it was recently produced or released in response to the July operation.

Experts identify further inconsistencies

The dating was independently corroborated by conflict researchers who monitor jihadist propaganda.

Brant Philip, an analyst tracking militant activity across the Sahel and Lake Chad region, said the production markings visible in the video indicate it was released in 1441 AH.

“This is just yet another example why you shouldn’t take anything at face value from such accounts,” he wrote on X.

“If you look at the end of the video in the bottom right, you’ll see that firstly the video was released by JAS, not ISWAP, and secondly it says 1441H (2019/2020), which is six or seven years ago.”

Malik Samuel, a conflict researcher at Good Governance Africa, reached a similar conclusion.

According to Mr Samuel, the production date aligns with developments within Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS), commonly known as Boko Haram, following the death of its former leader, Abubakar Shekau.

“This would make sense because, for a while now, JAS has not had someone capable of producing a video like this since the defection of its prolific media head, Bana Modu, to ISWAP after the death of Shekau,” he said.

Mr Samuel explained that Mr Modu later became ISWAP’s media chief after replacing Abu Rumaisa, who died in a suicide attack in 2024.

What the Arabic narration actually says

The Arabic narration also contradicts the impression conveyed by the military’s statement.

Rather than referring to a recent battlefield death, the narrator traces Abu Salim’s activities back to 1439 AH (2017–2018), saying he first distinguished himself as a fighter before moving into the group’s media department.

According to the narration, he later specialised in filming battles, documenting military raids and training others in audio production, video editing and graphic design.

The eulogy praises him as a martyr and urges followers to continue fighting, but it makes no reference to the Cross Kauwa operation or to any events that occurred in July 2026.

Part of the narration states:

“Our brother Abu Salim, the media operative, Yusuf bin Muhammad al-Barnawi—may God accept him.

“He was not only a media operative; he also led some raids against what the group refers to as the army of the disbelievers before returning safely with his brothers.

“Since 1439 AH, Brother Abu Salim developed coverage of battles and military raids. He later moved into training in audio and video production as well as graphic design.”

The remainder of the video consists largely of chantings and exhortations encouraging supporters to continue armed struggle.

Army stands by its position

When contacted, Mr Goni asked whether PREMIUM TIMES had listened to the [Arabic] narration in the video.

He maintained that the terrorists themselves mentioned the date Abu Salim was killed.

Our reporter explained that the video was entirely in Arabic and requested the version relied upon by the military.

Mr Goni said he would share it but had not done so by the time this report was published despite subsequent reminders.

An information war

The discrepancy highlights the increasingly important role of digital verification in Nigeria’s counter-insurgency campaign.

For more than a decade, the conflict against Boko Haram and ISWAP has been fought not only with weapons but also through competing narratives disseminated in official statements, photographs and propaganda videos.

Because independent journalists and researchers often cannot access active battlefields, visual material released by both the military and insurgent groups frequently becomes part of the public record. Analysts therefore rely on production dates, metadata, language, logos, editing styles and other forensic indicators to establish when such materials were produced and whether they support the claims being made about them.

The latest controversy follows a series of disputes over official battlefield announcements.

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In May, the military announced the killing of senior ISWAP commander Abu Bilal al-Minuki during a joint operation with the United States.

The killing of Mr al-Minuki—which was first announced by US President Donald Trump and subsequently confirmed by his Nigerian counterpart, Bola Tinubu—prompted questions because the Defence Headquarters had reported in April 2024 that a commander bearing the same alias had already been killed.

Military authorities later explained that the two reports referred to different individuals, saying Boko Haram and ISWAP commanders frequently adopt identical aliases to complicate intelligence gathering. The presidency separately described the earlier report as a case of mistaken identity.

Years earlier, the military also announced the death of former Boko Haram leader Mr Shekau on multiple occasions before his death was eventually confirmed in 2021 after he detonated an explosive device during a confrontation with rival ISWAP fighters.

Whether Mr al-Barnawi died during the Cross Kauwa operation is a separate question that cannot be resolved solely from the obituary video.

The video presented by the military as evidence that ISWAP acknowledged his death was produced approximately seven years before the operation, meaning it cannot, on its own, substantiate the claim that the footage was a recent obituary issued in response to his alleged killing.