Viral drone footage of bandits operating in a thick forest was actually taken in Kenya, not Nigeria.
The footage showing armed bandits deep in a forest has been circulating in Nigeria with the narrative that it was taken in a Nigerian forest.
However, Microsecondnews (MSN) investigations revealed that the footage was obtained in Laikipia forest in Kenya by a KTN News team led by its Senior Reporter, Ibrahim Karanja, as part of their investigations into the activities of armed bandits in the country.
Like Nigeria, Kenya has seen a steep rise in illegal arms proliferation and the attendant banditry, armed robbery, cattle rustling, murder and related criminal activities.
Kenyan bandits have become emboldened in recent times, attacking school buses and police stations, carting away arms and ammunition.
The KTN drone captured armed men in a thicket carrying on their daily activities, with cows and other livestock around them.
The drone arrived at the time the bandits were making breakfast. They noticed the aerial equipment at some point and took aim at it with their firearms but did not hit the target.
The rustlers have been terrorising the residents of Pokot, Laikipia, Baringo and Samburu counties, raiding homes and stealing cattle.
The bandits incurred national wrath recently when they attacked a school bus filled with children.
Kenyan Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i issued a warning that government would move against the bandits said to be operating in Kerio Valley at the time.
The CS said the attack on school children was an indication that the group is a criminal enterprise. He said the government would apply a new level of force and fire to ensure the bandits are wiped.
