The viral video had earlier claimed that security operatives arrested students of the university for allegedly serving as informants to Boko Haram terrorists for monetary gains.
The University of Maiduguri has dismissed as false and misleading a viral social media video alleging that some of its students were arrested for collaborating with Boko Haram insurgents.
The viral video had earlier claimed that security operatives arrested students of the university for allegedly serving as informants to Boko Haram terrorists for monetary gains.
The video was widely circulated on social media, especially Facebook and WhatsApp.
The less than two-minute video is a collage of two clips.
The left side shows the content creator giving an account of what happened, while the right side shows soldiers and police parading suspects.
The content creator claimed that the arrested students shown on the right side of the video were from UNIMAID, and were arrested for purportedly being on the payroll of Boko Haram.
“See some students wey dey work hand in hand with Boko Haram in University of Maiduguri. Thank God hand don catch them,” the content creator said in Pidgin English.
“They are students of the University of Maiduguri. They are the informants of Boko Haram. Their names are in the payroll of Boko Haram.”
Reacting, in a press release dated January 13, 2026, and signed by the Registrar, Ahmad A. Lawan, the university described the video as “misleading and disturbing.
The institution stated that the allegations were “totally baseless, false and mischievous,” stressing that “no student of the University has been found to have links with Boko Haram Insurgents or any other similar groups.”
The management further insisted that it has never tolerated extremism or violence, noting that the University of Maiduguri has instead been actively involved in countering violent extremism and promoting peace, especially in Nigeria’s North-East region.
According to the statement, the university community is made up of “disciplined, law-abiding staff and students drawn from diverse backgrounds,” who are primarily focused on their academic work.
It added that its students are “trained in both character and learning,” have “demonstrated good behavior,” and remain committed to their studies.
The university urged “parents, guardians, unsuspecting readers and the general public” to disregard what it called misinformation and appealed to the public to refrain from spreading the “false narrative” due to its negative impact.
Reaffirming its position, the institution said it remains “steadfast in its commitment to academic excellence, moral discipline, and the promotion of peace, security, and national unity.”
WATCH: University Of Maiduguri Debunks Viral Video Claiming Its Students Served as Boko Haram Informants pic.twitter.com/gsFcYS6Wes
— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) January 13, 2026