KEY POINTS

• Police have dismissed claims that officers were fraternising with armed bandits in Katsina State.
• The Force said the men seen in a viral video were registered hunters and members of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria assisting security operations.
• Authorities warned against spreading false information capable of causing panic and undermining security efforts.

The Nigeria Police Force has denied allegations that its officers were seen in a video interacting with armed bandits in Katsina State, describing the claims as false, misleading, and intended to create unnecessary public concern.

The clarification followed the circulation of a viral video on social media showing police officers exchanging greetings with a group of armed men riding motorcycles.

The footage sparked speculation among some Nigerians, with claims that the officers were fraternising with criminal elements operating in the state.

However, the police have insisted that the individuals in the video were not bandits but recognised security volunteers assisting law enforcement agencies in the fight against crime.

Armed Men Identified as Vigilantes and Hunters

In a statement released on Wednesday, the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Anietie Iniedu, explained that the men captured in the video were members of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN) and registered hunters working alongside security agencies.

According to him, the volunteers are actively supporting security operations in Musawa and Matazu Local Government Areas of Katsina State, where efforts are ongoing to tackle criminal activities and improve public safety.

Iniedu stated that the interaction shown in the video was a routine engagement between a police officer and community-based security volunteers heading to a designated operational area.

He stressed that there was nothing unusual or suspicious about the encounter and that attempts to portray it as evidence of collaboration between the police and bandits were entirely inaccurate.

The police spokesperson condemned what he described as the deliberate distortion of facts and the circulation of misinformation capable of generating public anxiety.

He warned that such false narratives could weaken public confidence in security institutions and hinder ongoing efforts to combat crime and insecurity.

“The video captured a routine interaction between a police officer and these security volunteers as they proceeded to a designated operational area in support of efforts to combat criminality and enhance public safety,” the statement noted.

The Force maintained that any suggestion that the armed men were bandits was malicious and aimed at misleading members of the public.