Less than a week after the US announced a ceasefire in the Middle East, a video was shared on Tiktok with claims that Nigeria was sending troops to Israel on a peacekeeping mission. However, the claim is false. This video combines AI-generated content with old footage. The Nigerian government has documented criticism of Israel for targeting Iran.
The Tiktok video text overlay states, “Breaking: Nigeria announces rollouts of peace support for Israel.”
The caption below the video states, “Breaking: Nigeria deploys its troops to support Israel's peace operations.”
“The footage obtained by TBC News shows that Nigerian forces have been mobilized and explained for non-combatant and cooperative training missions overseas,” he adds.
The post, published on June 17, 2025, has been shared over 6,100 times.
This video contains various clips edited together in the style of a news report.
Starting with what appears to be a news segment on a channel called TBC News, the studio presenter speaks to the camera.
In the second clip, military officials hold a press conference, calling for the Nigerian army to deploy a “friendship mission.”
The third clip shows a soldier marching and climbing onto the vehicle. In two more videos, military aircraft, including helicopters carrying Nigerian flags, show fictional aircraft. The video then returns to the presenter.
The post was published after Israel and Iran exchanged airstrikes for 12 days after US President Donald Trump announced on June 23 that he had agreed to a staggered ceasefire between Iran and Israel (archived here).
However, the claim that Nigeria announced the deployment of its military to Israel is false.
AI-generated content
First, Google searches revealed that there is no TV station called TBC News.
The Tanzanian broadcasting company is known as TBC, but its logo is different from what is shown on the Tiktok video. The name is probably a play on Nigerian 24-hour news channel TVC News.
Second, a closer look at the various video clips reveals some of the flaws that are common in AI-generated content.
For example, the clothes of the news presenter will vary between the first and last clips, but they should be part of the ongoing news segment. There are also significant changes in his face and hair shape.
Furthermore, his voice is distorted and sounds like a robot.
Although no exact match was found for this clip online, the footage resembles content created by X Account, known for sharing the same TBC news logo and news clips generated by AI.
The second segment of the Tiktok video shows military officials holding meetings, and is also characterized by the robot's voice.
The voice states: “Nigeria is proud to expand its strategic defense training to its major global allies.”
However, the crowned emblem that can be seen behind him is not of Nigeria. The Nigerian coat of arms does not include a crown.
The coat of arms seen in the video also does not match Nigeria's national military symbols.
During Nigeria's military briefing, both national and defensive flags are present in the background, but this is not the case with Tiktok's videos (archived here).
When full screen appears, it also becomes clear that there is something unusual about what the photographer can see on the right.
His camera's display screen doesn't show the scenes he was supposed to be filming. There is no cotton arm behind the military officials, and the movements do not match.
These factors suggest that this clip is also generated by AI.
The following video clip shows the soldier marching looks very smooth and fluid. This could be another indication of AI use.
Additionally, the video glitches as the soldier step into the thin air as he climbs onto the vehicle.
Reused footage
However, the two clips showing the military plane flying overhead are actual footage from a recent airshow held in Lagos in May 2025.
According to local news outlets, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has warned locals in advance of the existence of these aircraft (archived here).
A video showing the same helicopter carrying the Nigerian flag was posted on Instagram on May 12, 2025 (archived). The caption specifies that it was filmed in Lagos.
The Nigerian government has not announced that it will either send troops to Israel or support them. It condemned Israel's first strike against Iran in a written statement.
“The government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has condemned Israel's preemptive attack on Israel, leading to an escalation of hostility between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the state of Israel.
AFP Fact Check previously exposed other videos around the Israeli-Iraq conflict here and here.
