A video circulating online has sparked alarm after showing armed militants handling a powerful anti-aircraft weapon.
Posted on Saturday by Defence Times on X (formerly Twitter), the one-minute clip shows a group of terrorists in a forested area inspecting what appears to be a Man-Portable Air Defence System (MANPADS)—a shoulder-fired missile launcher designed to take down low-flying aircraft.
In the video, the men casually discuss the weapon’s features, boast about its capabilities, and claim they have already used it to shoot down three Nigerian fighter jets. Speaking in Hausa, one of the militants, identified as “Ibro,” demonstrates his confidence in operating the system.
“I can [use it], by His Grace,” Ibro says when asked if he can fire the weapon. He later adds, “We are masters at shooting down planes,” while another militant counts about 50 rounds of ammunition for the weapon.
The video was reportedly filmed in Zamfara State, the same area where terrorists downed a Nigerian Air Force jet in July 2021. The footage also shows other fighters discussing plans to acquire more of such weapons.
According to a United Nations report on arms trafficking, weapons from Libyan stockpiles have increasingly found their way into regions like Nigeria, where terror groups exploit instability. The report notes that “the materiel is likely to enhance the capacity of terrorist groups” in affected regions, including Nigeria.
In February, Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, revealed that over 178,000 firearms were unaccounted for in the national police inventory—an alarming gap that may be fuelling the illegal arms market.
While prices vary, Havocscope, a black-market monitoring platform, estimates that recoilless rifles like the SPG-9 are sold for $400 to $2,600, depending on their condition and region.
The footage has renewed calls for urgent action on arms control and border security, as fears grow over the firepower now accessible to criminal and terrorist groups.
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