A viral video showing suspected bandits confessing that government officials supplied them weapons and vehicles has sparked a political dispute in Kwara State, with calls for a federal investigation.
The one-minute, 36-second video surfaced online in May 2026. It shows soldiers interrogating a group of men lying face down with their hands tied. The men were allegedly found patrolling with AK-47 rifles in a vehicle bearing the inscription of Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.
During the interrogation, one suspect speaking in Hausa and Pidgin English claimed the patrol vehicle and rifles were provided by the “Ilorin government”.
“We have been here for quite a while. We are using the vehicle for patrol. Wallahi, na the truth I dey tell you,” he said.
“Ilorin government na him give us this motor and the weapons. They were the ones that gave us the rifles”.
The suspect alleged that their superior, identified as “oga Victor,” collected the weapons and that they had gone on several patrols alongside security operatives. He insisted the rifles were not privately owned by the group.
The video quickly spread on social media, prompting reactions from political actors. Former Kwara State House of Assembly member Mashood Bakare called on the Federal Government to urgently investigate the allegations. He said the claims, if true, amounted to state-sponsored criminality.
The Kwara State Government denied the claims. Commissioner for Communications Bola Olukoju said no security agency, including the Nigerian Army, carried out any arrest of armed bandits in Ifelodun or any part of Kwara State.
She stated that preliminary checks showed the suspects were arrested in Auchi, Edo State, not Kwara. Olukoju also stressed that no state government has the authority to issue or distribute AK-47 rifles.
The government explained that the vehicle seen in the video was originally provided to vigilantes deployed in Ifelodun to support security efforts, but the vigilantes had since left and the vehicle was not returned.
The Office of the National Security Adviser also said the arrested individuals were government-backed vigilantes, not bandits, and that the recovered rifle was officially issued for counter-terrorism operations…See More
