Witnesses Cite Gunfire, Military Role as Soldier Arrested
By Mary Kiara
(Jos) — The meme that American conservatives use to mock establishment gaslighting, “Don’t believe your lying eyes” has become official Nigerian security doctrine. Witness a mass burial, hear “Allahu Akbar,” flee for your life? The police say nothing happened.
“At no time did the Plateau State Police Command record such an incident,” Alfred Alabo police spokesperson wrote on May 6, after hundreds of mourners scattered under sniper fire in Nding Sesut village, 20 miles south of Jos.
“The claims are grossly exaggerated, inaccurate, and do not reflect the true situation on the ground.”
Masara Kim, a TruthNigeria reporter, was there, he saw a man fall.
“He was about 400 yards away, he dropped after the gunshots rang,” Kim revealed after running five kilometers on foot, abandoning his vehicle.
“I told people next to me, ‘Somebody’s been shot.’ Then we realized how close we were to getting slaughtered.”
The attack on the burial where seven people were killed the previous night were being interred followed a terror alert TruthNigeria had circulated, naming Nding Sesut as an at-risk village, but the alert was ignored.
‘He Was Just Shooting a Movie’
The most Orwellian twist came from Zagazola Makama, a source aligned with the Nigerian military. His alibi for TruthNigeria’s reporting: the reporter “initiated the news and acted the script to send to funders,” to give the false impression of an attack.
“Don’t take it seriously,” the posts suggested.
Hours after Makama’s post, Kim was interviewed by CBN News and he described realizing he was about to become the story and ran for an hour.
Survivors and Leaders Tell a Different Story
The dead were buried in haste, no prayers, and no hymns.
Mourners had dug only two feet when gunfire erupted from surrounding hills. Hundreds of armed men shouting “Allahu Akbar” advanced on motorcycles.
Community leaders present at the burial disputed the police account, describing an organized assault on mourners.
Solomon Dalyop, a lawyer and frontline advocate of crisis affected communities, was at the burial and accused the military of direct collaboration.
“I personally witnessed the military firing at our local guards and into the community,” Dalyop told TruthNigeria.
“Two young people were shot right before me by the Nigerian military that came from the same direction as the attackers.”
Dalyop said a soldier assigned to a Special Task Force unit in Nding was “nowhere to be found before, during, or after the attack. His phone was called, but he did not answer.” The soldier has since been arrested.
Competing Narratives, Eroding Trust
The contradiction between official denial and eyewitness testimony reflects a broader pattern in Nigeria’s response to militant violence, analysts and local leaders say.
On January 18, 2026, police denied the mass abduction of over 100 worshippers from three churches in Kurmin Wali, Kaduna State. Two days later, they confirmed at least 166 Christians had been taken.
In April 2026, after an attack on Bagna and Erena villages in Niger State, police claimed three died. Residents counted at least 20. The same month, the FCT Police Command dismissed videos of gunfire near Abuja as “misleading” and arrested a citizen for “malicious” content, even as a U.S. travel advisory warned of terrorist threats.
“Why would the police be in a haste to refute without verifying from the grassroots?” Dalyop asked. “I was there, I have video recordings, but the police denied it anyway.”
U.S. Lawmaker: ‘Forceful Action’ Needed
Rep. Riley Moore called the Plateau attack “absolutely horrific” and accused the Nigerian government of complicity.
“The Nigerian Government could root out the terrorism and stop the martyrdom of its own citizens,” Moore said.
“But, despite receiving early warnings, they are nowhere to be found as Christians are murdered for their faith, like lambs led to slaughter, enough is enough.”
Moore urged the Trump administration to take “forceful action” to protect Nigerian Christians.
When Reality Is Disputed
When eyewitness accounts, video evidence, and local reporting conflict with state narratives, analysts warn that public trust in security institutions begins to erode.
“The Nigerian military is not ready to put an end to insurgency, and we’ve seen it play out,” Dalyop told TruthNigeria.
“While terrorists are attacking a village, military personnel arrive at the scene with their sirens going off to announce their presence to the attackers and give them a chance to flee,” he said.
It affects intelligence sharing, delays emergency response, and undermines early warning systems designed to prevent attacks.
Mary Kiara reports on terrorism and religious freedom for TruthNigeria.
