Fresh questions have emerged over the authenticity and handling of CCTV footage allegedly showing events leading up to the deadly dormitory fire at Utumishi Academy Girls that claimed the lives of 16 students.

The video, which has been circulating publicly and is said to capture five girls inside the dormitory before the fire broke out, has drawn scrutiny after apparent visual inconsistencies were observed in some frames, raising concerns about whether the footage may have undergone enhancement, editing or technical distortion.

Among the irregularities identified is what appears to be a white towel hanging from the upper section of a bunk bed near the wall in what has been described as Cube 10. In one section of the footage, the item appears plain white, but in later frames it appears to display two parallel stripes running vertically.

Another perceived inconsistency involves bedding that initially appears to be covered in a plain white fabric but later seems darker and patterned, with what resembles a boxed or checked design.

It remains unclear whether the observed differences are the result of video compression, lighting shifts, CCTV system glitches, artificial intelligence enhancement tools, post-production editing or other technical limitations associated with surveillance footage.

The emergence of the discrepancies has now raised wider questions about the handling and presentation of footage tied to a tragedy that remains under intense public scrutiny and police investigation.

If the footage was altered, enhanced or modified in any way, questions are likely to arise over the purpose such changes would serve and who, if anyone, would stand to benefit from them.

At the same time, no evidence has publicly emerged to indicate deliberate tampering and authorities have yet to comment on whether the footage underwent enhancement, modification or any form of digital processing.

The perceived inconsistencies have sparked debate online and raised broader questions about the chain of custody, handling and authenticity of footage linked to a tragedy that remains under active public and investigative scrutiny.

A key question now emerging is whether the apparent inconsistencies are innocent technical anomalies or something that could in turn, fuel doubt about the reliability of the footage and its interpretation.

Authorities have not publicly commented on the concerns at the time of publication.