Dino Melaye uses AI-generated images to depict burial of late General Rabe Abubakar - FactCheckHub

On June 14, 2026, former federal lawmaker Dino Melaye posted a collage of images on X and Facebook, claiming they depicted armed bandits handing over the body of the late Major General Rabe Abubakar to his family in Katsina State. The viral post, which garnered over 540,000 views, alleged that bandits returned the remains unchallenged before departing for a nearby forest.

What happened

While Major General Rabe Abubakar did pass away while in captivity following an abduction, the images accompanying the post were determined to be entirely fabricated. Forensic analysis using AI detection tools, specifically 'Is it AI' and 'Sightengine,' returned a 99.9% and 99% probability, respectively, that the images were synthetic. A visual inspection confirmed numerous artifacts consistent with AI generation, such as deformed facial features, floating hands, inconsistent weapon textures, and a rifle barrel appearing to pass through a coffin. Furthermore, the individuals in the images displayed uncanny physical similarities, and the woman depicted as the general’s wife did not match authentic photographs of Amina Abubakar. Reports from the ICIR confirmed that the general's wife remained in captivity as of the date the post was published, contradicting the emotional reunion scene presented in the fabricated collage. Despite the factual context of the general's death, the visual evidence provided to support the narrative of the handover was proven to be misleading AI-generated content.