The Anambra State Police Command have arrested the man behind a viral video falsely claiming that a military helicopter was used to drop food supplies to Fulani herdsmen in the state, with the suspect now in custody after admitting he fabricated the entire story.

The arrest was confirmed by the command’s spokesperson, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, who disclosed that the suspect was initially apprehended by residents of the affected communities, led by their President-General, before being handed over to the police on Thursday. The man was subsequently interrogated, during which he confessed that he never witnessed any helicopter land in the area or supply any items to herdsmen, and that he had concocted the claim based purely on hearsay.

The case originated from a video that spread rapidly across social media platforms on Thursday, alleging that a military helicopter had dropped unidentified items in a bush along the Nimo–Adazi-Nnukwu corridor in Anaocha Local Government Area. The footage triggered widespread alarm among residents and generated significant public anxiety about a possible security threat. The Anambra State Police Command swiftly deployed tactical teams to the area to verify the claims, after which it issued an official statement dismissing the report as a “false alarm” capable of causing unnecessary panic and undermining public confidence in the state’s security network.

Authorities warned that the deliberate circulation of fabricated security information poses a serious danger, particularly in a state that has faced persistent security challenges in recent years. They noted that such false reports distract law enforcement from genuine threats, erode public trust in official communications, and risk inciting ethnic tensions through inflammatory narratives. The police are expected to conclude their investigation and determine whether charges will be pressed against the suspect or whether additional persons were involved in the creation and distribution of the video.

The arrest serves as a reminder of the growing menace of security-related misinformation in Nigeria, where unverified reports about military operations, kidnappings, and herdsmen clashes regularly go viral before authorities have the opportunity to respond, often causing panic that can spiral into communal unrest.