Claim: An X user claimed that Fulani jihadists slaughtered more than 350 Christians in Tegina, Rafi Local Government Area of Niger State.
Verdict: False. DUBAWA found no evidence that over 350 Christians were killed by Fulani jihadists in Tegina. Available evidence indicates the incident was a communal clash between the Fulani and Kamuku communities, while the reported death toll remains unverified.
Full Text
An X user, @corefrontline, shared a video (archived here) claiming that Fulani jihadists killed 350 Christians in the Tegina community of Rafi local government area, Niger State.
The caption reads in part, “…Over 350 Christians, men, women, and children, were slaughtered and many burned alive in Tegina, Niger State, between July 5–6 by Fulani Muslim jihadists…”
The accompanying video showed burnt bodies inside a fire-damaged building with dramatic background music.
As of July 12, 2026, the post has gained over 4,228 views, four comments, 16 likes, and 11 reshares.
An X user, @Blow_coin, who believed the claim, commented, “Security matters for everyone irrespective of religion.”
Another user, @VictoriousXots, wrote, “Naturally, it is funded by NATO. NATO hates the Sahel and has tried to assassinate Ibrahim Traore 20 times. They probably celebrated the death of Charlie Kirk as well.”
Given the potential of the post to fuel religious tension and mislead many, DUBAWA decided to verify the claim.
Verification
DUBAWA first conducted keyword searches related to the claim that over 350 Christians were killed by Fulani jihadists in Tegina. However, we did not find any report supporting the claim across credible Nigerian media organisations and official security channels
We conducted a reverse image search on keyframes from the video. We traced the earliest version of the viral video to a Facebook video published on July 6, 2026, by a popular social commentator and digital creator, @DEnglish88.
While the X user claimed that Fulani Jihadists have slaughtered over 350 Christians, the earlier upload from @DEnglish88 did not describe the incident as a religious attack or claim that Christians were specifically targeted.
DEnglish noted that the incident was not a result of a Boko Haram attack or banditry but a community clash between the Kamuku people and the Fulani people and that it took place in Tegina.
To establish what happened, DUBAWA contacted residents and community leaders in Tegina. Zion Danladi, a farmer, told us that the incident “was a communal clash between the Fulani and Kamuku ethnic groups and not a religious clash.”
Similarly, the National President of the Kamuku Progressive Union, Elijah Buzaije Yusuf, said the incident resulted from a communal conflict rather than religious violence as portrayed.
According to Yusuf, more Muslims than Christians lost their lives during the clash. He also stated that the exact number of casualties had not been established at the time of this report, making the claim that over 350 Christians were killed unsubstantiated.
“More Muslims than Christians lost their lives during the clash. Honestly, for now, we cannot exactly say this is the number of people (who lost their lives), even from my own people (Kamuku). Talk more of the other tribes combined,” Yusuf said.
DUBAWA attempted to contact the Divisional Police Officer in Tegina, but the phone number was unreachable.
We repeatedly followed up with the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Niger State Command, SP Wasiu Abiodun, who maintained that he was still awaiting details on the incident but had not provided any as of the time of this report.
Efforts to obtain comments from the former Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Niger State Command, SC Nasir Abdullahi were also unsuccessful, as calls were not answered or returned.
Based on the available evidence, DUBAWA found no credible source supporting the claim that Fulani jihadists massacred over 350 Christians in Tegina.
Conclusion
Available evidence indicates the violence in Tegina, Niger State, was a communal clash between Fulani and Kamuku communities, not a targeted religious attack. Furthermore, there is no verified evidence that more than 350 people were killed in the incident.
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