A VIRAL Facebook post and a report on the website Daily Excessive allege that Fulani herdsmen launched at least 10 rockets from Kogi State into Enugu State, reportedly in retaliation for being pushed out by IPOB’s Eastern Security Network (ESN).
The claim includes photos of what appears to be a rocket in the night sky and a burning building, with suggestions that one of the rockets hit a location in southeastern Nigeria.
To verify this claim, The Explainer began by tracing the earliest social media post pushing the narrative. The original content was published on 7 April 2025 by a Facebook page known as Daily Excessive, which has a history of posting alarmist and unverified stories. The post, accessible here, makes unsubstantiated claims that Fulani herdsmen launched rockets from Kogi into Enugu.
However, the post included no verifiable video footage, no eyewitness statements, and no geographical markers to authenticate the event.
The Explainer also identified duplicate versions of the same claim being shared by other Facebook pages such as Imo City TV News and Aso Villa News on the same date, 7 April 2025. Like the original post, these duplicates recycled the same text and images without any supporting evidence.
To further assess the credibility of the claim, The Explainer cross-checked with fact-checking authorities including Africa Check, which also found the story to be entirely fabricated.
No credible news agency, security institution, or emergency response unit reported any incident resembling what was described in the viral post.
The Explainer then reviewed the accompanying images using reverse image search tools like Google Lens and TinEye to assess their origin and relevance. The results showed that all three images predate the alleged incident and have no connection to any event in Kogi or Enugu.
To investigate the authenticity of the visuals attached to the viral post, The Explainer conducted a reverse image search of the three photos accompanying the claim. The first image showing a fiery trail in the night sky allegedly caused by a rocket launched from Kogi was found to originate from an entirely different context. It was captured during Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip in May 2021. This same image has appeared in multiple unrelated reports, including articles about the Russia-Ukraine war. The Associated Press confirmed its source and original context in a fact-check article, making clear that the photo has no ties to Nigeria.
The second image which depicts a building engulfed in flames was traced to a residential fire incident that occurred in January 2022 in Harmony Estate, Woji, Port Harcourt. The event was covered by local social media platforms such as Port Harcourt Blog, and it was not linked to any rocket-related activity.
The third image, showing a blindfolded man with the inscription “Fulani Herdsmen Killings in Enugu” across his chest, was identified as a staged protest or symbolic campaign photograph. No credible media outlet has reported the image as evidence of actual violence or rocket strikes.
This image verification process further undermines the credibility of the claim, indicating that the visuals used to bolster the narrative are not only misleading but recycled from unrelated incidents in Nigeria and abroad.
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Further investigation by The Explainer included a comprehensive review of publicly available reports and official statements from the Nigeria Police Force and other state-level security channels. As of the time of this report, there has been no official confirmation or press release from the police commands in Kogi or Enugu State indicating any incident involving rocket attacks.
Likewise, checks on the Enugu State Emergency Management Agency (ENSEMA) revealed no statements, alerts, or reports of explosions, missile strikes, or structural damage linked to any such attack within the period in question. Major national dailies and regional news platforms also made no mention of rocket-related incidents, lending further credence to the fact that the claim lacks any basis in verified security reports.
To cross-reference this claim with verified security data, The Explainer examined entries from conflict-monitoring platforms such as the Council on Foreign Relations’ Nigeria Security Tracker (NST), which compiles incidents of violence reported by credible media and local sources across the country. As at April 2024, the tracker shows no record of rocket attacks, mass casualties, or any unusual security escalations in either Kogi or Enugu State.
Security experts consulted by The Explainer also noted that the type of rocket warfare described in the claim would require highly sophisticated military infrastructure — including long-range launch platforms, GPS-guided systems, and advanced propellants. These are capabilities typically associated with national armed forces, not non-state pastoralist groups like Fulani herdsmen, who are generally known to operate with light arms such as machetes and AK-47 rifles.
To further verify the claim, The Explainer conducted a review of open-source satellite imagery using NASA’s FIRMS (Fire Information for Resource Management System) and Sentinel Hub’s EO Browser, which track thermal anomalies and fires in near real-time. No signs of explosions, fires, or other indicators of missile strikes were detected over Enugu or Kogi during the alleged period of attack.
Additionally, social media listening tools and keyword tracking on platforms such as Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) were deployed to scan for organic local chatter, video uploads, or eyewitness reports from residents in the affected areas.
Notably, no credible posts, images, or community panic consistent with a large-scale rocket strike were found — a strong indication that such an incident never occurred.
Attention was then turned to the origin of the story: DailyExcessive.com. The Explainer reviewed the site’s publishing history and found multiple prior instances of disinformation. Reports by FactCheckHub, Dubawa, and Africa Check have previously debunked similar alarmist stories from the same platform, which has gained notoriety for publishing inflammatory ethnic and political content with no factual basis.
Verification: FALSE
Misinformation of this nature is dangerous. It plays into Nigeria’s already fragile ethnic landscape, particularly in the Southeast and Middle Belt, where herder-farmer clashes have previously led to loss of lives and displacement. Spreading unverified claims about long-range rocket warfare not only heightens ethnic paranoia but also misleads the public and distracts from real security challenges.
Given the total absence of physical evidence, credible witness accounts, or confirmation from any local or national authority, The Explainer concludes that the claim that Fulani herdsmen launched ten rockets from Kogi into Enugu is false.
