In the widely circulated footage, the suspects claimed that the operational vehicle had been supplied to them by the “Ilorin government” and alleged that their weapons originated “from Abuja.”
The Kwara State Government is facing mounting public outrage after a video went viral showing suspected armed bandits in possession of AK-47 rifles alongside a security vehicle marked with the logo of Ifelodun Local Government Area.
In the widely circulated footage, the suspects claimed that the operational vehicle had been supplied to them by the “Ilorin government” and alleged that their weapons originated “from Abuja.”
The video sparked outrage online, with many Nigerians accusing the Kwara State Government of secretly arming criminal elements terrorising rural communities.
However, the state government has struggled to distance itself from the scandal, offering a series of explanations that have done little to calm public suspicion.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Commissioner for Communications, Mrs Bolanle Olukoju, denied reports that the Nigerian Army arrested armed bandits in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, describing such claims as false and capable of inciting panic.
The statement read, "Kwara State Government wishes to clarify that the Nigerian Army did not arrest any armed bandit in Ifelodun Local Government Area of the State -- contrary to the disinformation spreading on social media platforms.”
According to the government, no security agency reported any arrest of bandits in Ifelodun or elsewhere in Kwara State.
Instead, officials claimed the suspects seen in the viral video were arrested in Auchi, Edo State, despite being in possession of a vehicle clearly marked with an Ifelodun Local Government logo.
“We have carefully watched the short video in circulation in which some individuals arrested said they were in possession of a vehicle given to them by 'Ilorin Government' and weapons they received 'from Abuja,’” the statement said.
"While the content of the video and the whole circumstances around the suspects are being investigated, it is important to clarify that the suspects were not arrested in Ifelodun or any part of Kwara. No security agency, including the Army, ever reported such arrests in Kwara. They were reportedly arrested in Auchi, Edo State. Further details are awaited for more clarity."
The government further argued that no state government has the legal authority to arm anyone with AK-47 rifles, insisting that the suspects did not explicitly say the Kwara State Government supplied them with weapons.
In an attempt to explain the presence of the government-branded vehicle, the administration said the van was originally handed over to vigilantes deployed to Ifelodun to support local security operations.
According to the statement, the vigilantes later left the area, and the vehicle was never returned.
“The Ifelodun Local Government Authority, for its part, has clarified that the security van was given to the vigilantes initially deployed in Ifelodun to strengthen existing security,” it said.
“These vigilantes have since left Ifelodun. However, the LGA had repeatedly complained to relevant authorities that its van was not returned to its pool."
Despite these explanations, Kwarans say the government has failed to convincingly explain how a security vehicle meant for community protection ended up in the hands of heavily armed bandits or why such a sensitive asset was allowed to go missing without immediate recovery.
The administration urged Nigerians and media organisations to avoid what it described as “biased assimilation of information,” while calling for improved inter-agency coordination and intelligence sharing to combat banditry.
"As the security forces are probing the development, we urge people, especially online media platforms and bloggers, to avoid biased assimilation of information or misrepresenting things, because such behaviour poses existential threat to human life and public peace," Olukoju said.
Previously, SaharaReporters reported that Nigerian soldiers had arrested a group of suspected bandits found patrolling with AK-47 rifles in a local security patrol vehicle in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The suspects were reportedly intercepted by troops during an operation in the area and taken into custody.
In a video obtained by SaharaReporters, the arrested men were seen prostrated on the ground with their hands tied as soldiers questioned them over their activities and the source of the arms in their possession.
During the interrogation, one of the suspects, speaking in Hausa and Pidgin English, claimed that the vehicle and rifles were provided by the Kwara State government.
He alleged that they had been operating in the area under the guise of patrol duties for some time.
“We have been here for quite a while. We are using the vehicle for patrol. Wallahi, na the truth I dey tell you,” the suspect said in the video.
“Ilorin government na him give us this motor and the weapons. They were the ones that gave us the rifles.”
The suspect further alleged that the arms were not personally collected by him but by his superior, whom he referred to as “our oga,” insisting that multiple individuals were involved.
“We are not the ones that collected the rifles; it was our oga that collected them. I know because I was with them. We go patrol many times with them, including Oga Victor. All of them are involved. The weapons are theirs,” he claimed.
In the video, other detainees, whose hands were tied, were heard repeatedly chanting religious phrases as the questioning continued.