Kwara State Government has categorically dismissed viral social media claims that its officials supplied arms to bandits, following a disturbing video showing soldiers interrogating suspects caught patrolling in a local government-marked vehicle loaded with AK-47 rifles. The footage, circulating widely since December 13, 2025, depicts the suspects lying face down with hands tied alleging that government figures provided their weapons and ammunition to terrorize communities in Ifelodun Local Government Area, sparking protests, outrage, and calls for accountability from citizens and ex-lawmakers alike.
Commissioner for Communications Olusegun Olukoju clarified that the vehicle in question was a security van previously loaned to vigilantes by Ifelodun LGA to bolster local patrols, but the group had disbanded without returning it despite repeated demands, insisting no bandits were arrested in the depicted scenario and labeling the narrative as misinformation designed to incite panic. The state urged the public to shun unverified reports, while a former lawmaker demanded an independent investigation into the video's authenticity, questioning potential political motives like election-related arming that lingers post-2023 polls, and criticizing the silence from security agencies such as DSS, police, and military despite the clip's 24-hour viral spread.
This controversy highlights Nigeria's persistent insecurity struggles, with bandits invoking oaths in Hausa dialect ("wai lie") to swear by Allah on their claims, naming possible accomplices like "Victor," and fueling debates on elite complicity in banditry ravaging the North Central region. As protests disrupt roads like Ilorin-Kabba and trust in governance erodes, authorities face mounting pressure for transparency to restore confidence amid recurring hoaxes and real threats from non-Nigerian elements infiltrating local crimes.