Army debunks viral video of soldiers’ food

By Lawrence Agbo

The Nigerian Army has dismissed a viral video circulating on social media alleging poor feeding conditions for soldiers at the frontlines, describing the footage as misleading and deliberately altered.

The video, shared by a user identified as Chidiebere, claimed to show the ration provided to troops deployed in operational areas.

However, the former Director of Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen. S.K. Usman (Rtd.) said preliminary findings indicate that the content was manipulated to distort the reality of the situation.

According to Usman, the soldier who shared the clip allegedly edited key details of the footage, including dividing the quantity of food displayed and removing meat items before circulating it online.

“I appreciate the concern well-meaning Nigerians have shown for the welfare of our troops. However, regarding the alleged video shared by one Chidiebere… all insiders know it is false and littered with elements of mischief,” he said.

He added that initial investigations suggest deliberate alteration of the video content, noting that such actions misrepresent the logistics support provided to troops in operational theatres.

“Preliminary investigations have shown that the soldier in question doctored certain details: he divided the quantity of food and removed all the meat from the frame of the video he sent,” added.

Usman also raised concern over what he described as a growing trend among some military personnel seeking online attention through content creation, warning that such practices could undermine operational discipline and public trust.

“There is a prevailing trend of soldiers wanting to become content creators,” he noted, stressing that the military takes issues of misinformation seriously.

He confirmed that further investigation is ongoing to determine the motive behind the video’s circulation and whether any disciplinary breaches occurred.