Fake news and Nigeria’s security gains

By Ismail Olaosebikan

The latest attempt to link the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, to the importation of illegal arms seized at Tin Can Island Port is not only spurious; it is a dangerous example of how misinformation can be deployed to undermine Nigeria’s security architecture and discredit individuals whose work is producing measurable results.

The allegation, circulated through a viral video in which suspects reportedly claimed that Ribadu sponsored the shipment, has now been categorically dismissed by the Director-General of the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), DIG Johnson Kokumo (rtd).

Kokumo did not offer a speculative defence of the NSA. He provided a direct account of what happened. He said he was personally present at Tin Can Island Port when the Nigerian Customs Service handed over 399 assorted automatic weapons intercepted at the port to the NCCSALW. He stressed that he was there in person, alongside the Comptroller-General of Customs, for the formal handover of the seized weapons.

That account alone should compel any responsible observer to question the credibility of the viral narrative. Yet, rather than subjecting the allegation to the basic requirements of evidence, some purveyors of the story appear determined to turn an unsubstantiated claim into a political weapon. This is precisely how fake news thrives: an accusation is manufactured, amplified and repeated until some people begin to mistake repetition for proof.

The allegation against Ribadu is particularly absurd in the context of his responsibilities as National Security Adviser and the unprecedented intensity of Nigeria’s current efforts to tackle terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, arms trafficking and other forms of transnational organised crime.

Indeed, the desperation surrounding this latest smear campaign may have less to do with the facts of the Tin Can seizure and more to do with the growing profile and credibility of Ribadu within the international security community.

Ribadu’s rising international stature is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. Through engagements and partnerships with international and regional security institutions, Nigeria has strengthened cooperation in the fight against terrorism, transnational organised crime, illicit arms trafficking and other violent crimes. That growing credibility inevitably comes with consequences.

For individuals and interests uncomfortable with Nigeria’s improving security coordination, a security adviser who is increasingly trusted by international partners represents an inconvenient development. When such a person becomes associated with stronger intelligence cooperation, improved coordination among security agencies and deeper international partnerships, those who thrive on insecurity and institutional weakness are bound to become uncomfortable.

The strategy, therefore, appears predictable: attack the messenger, manufacture suspicion and attempt to erode public confidence. But Nigerians should be wary of this tactic.

The issue of the 399 automatic weapons seized at Tin Can Island Port should be treated as a serious national security matter, not as fodder for social media propaganda. Illegal weapons fuel terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery and communal violence. Every legitimate effort to intercept such weapons and prevent their circulation deserves public support.

The NCCSALW’s continued destruction of recovered illicit weapons is also significant. According to Kokumo, 1,419 illicit weapons were publicly destroyed during the Centre’s second-quarter 2026 exercise, bringing the cumulative number destroyed since 2022 to more than 19,000.

These are not figures that suggest a government interested in facilitating the circulation of illegal arms. They suggest the opposite.

The government is taking steps to ensure that weapons recovered from criminal networks, obsolete stocks and other illicit sources do not find their way back into the hands of terrorists and other non-state actors.

That is why the viral allegation against Ribadu deserves to be dismissed for what it is: an unsubstantiated claim that has been contradicted by the official account of the agency directly involved in receiving the seized weapons.

The danger is even greater when such allegations are accompanied by calls for violence against the NSA and other individuals. That crosses the line from irresponsible misinformation into conduct capable of inflaming tensions and placing lives at risk.

Those spreading such narratives should therefore be challenged to produce evidence rather than insinuations. Where is the documentary proof that Ribadu sponsored the shipment? Where is the evidence linking him to the seized weapons? Who imported them, through what channels, and for whom?

These are the questions that a serious investigation must answer. A viral video containing allegations from suspects cannot, by itself, become a substitute for evidence.

More importantly, Nigerians must not allow the country’s hard-won security gains to become casualties of misinformation.

Ribadu’s record and responsibilities should be assessed on the basis of verifiable actions, institutional outcomes and credible evidence—not internet rumours engineered to generate outrage.

The growing international partnerships around Nigeria’s security efforts are particularly important. Transnational crimes require transnational cooperation. Terrorist networks, arms traffickers, kidnappers and organised criminal syndicates do not respect national borders. Nigeria therefore needs stronger intelligence sharing, operational cooperation and strategic partnerships with countries and institutions confronting the same threats.

Any development that strengthens Nigeria’s credibility and capacity in this arena should be encouraged, not sabotaged through fabricated narratives.

The purveyors of this latest allegation may believe they are weakening Ribadu. In reality, they risk exposing the weakness of their own case.

The more the facts are examined, the more the allegation collapses.

Nigeria has serious security challenges. It needs vigorous debate, robust oversight and fearless journalism. What it does not need is the deliberate weaponisation of fake news against individuals engaged in the difficult task of protecting the country.

The Tin Can Island arms seizure is a security success because illegal weapons were intercepted before they could potentially reach criminal networks. The appropriate response is to demand that investigators identify the financiers, importers, facilitators and intended recipients of the weapons—not to manufacture an entirely different story around the National Security Adviser without evidence. Ribadu should be judged by facts.

And on this particular allegation, the facts currently available offer no credible basis for the claim that he was behind the arms importation. Those intimidated by his rising credibility, his security engagements and Nigeria’s expanding international cooperation in the fight against transnational crime may continue to manufacture distractions. But propaganda cannot permanently obscure facts.

Nigeria’s security gains must not be sacrificed on the altar of political mischief. The country needs more security, more international cooperation and more credible institutions, not more fake news.

•Olaosebikan, writes from Lagos State