The Kwara State Government has dismissed claims that the Army arrested armed bandits in Ifelodun Local Government Area, describing the reports as false and misleading.
In a statement released late Sunday in Ilorin, the Commissioner for Communications, Mrs Bolanle Olukoju, said no security agency, including the Nigerian Army, had reported any such arrest anywhere in the state.
“First, the Nigerian Army did not arrest any armed bandits in any part of Ifelodun,” the statement said.
Olukoju explained that government officials reviewed the viral video circulating online in which some detained individuals alleged they operated with a vehicle supposedly provided by the “Ilorin Government” and weapons said to have come “from Abuja.”
She clarified that preliminary investigations showed the suspects were not arrested in Kwara State but in Auchi, Edo State, noting that security agencies were still expected to provide further details.
“No security agency ever reported such arrests in Kwara. The individuals were reportedly arrested in Auchi, Edo State,” the statement noted.
The commissioner emphasized that no state government has the power to issue AK-47 rifles to individuals, adding that the suspects did not explicitly claim that the Kwara State Government supplied them with weapons.
On the vehicle featured in the video, Olukoju said the Ifelodun Local Government Authority had earlier explained that the van was officially allocated to vigilante operatives supporting security operations in the area.
She added that the vigilantes had since pulled out of Ifelodun, while the council had repeatedly informed relevant authorities that the vehicle was not returned after their withdrawal.
The state government appealed to the public and online media platforms to exercise caution and refrain from spreading unverified claims capable of causing panic or threatening public peace.
“As security forces probe the development, we urge bloggers and online platforms to avoid misrepresentation, as biased information poses an existential threat to human life and public order,” the statement warned.
The government also renewed its call for stronger inter-agency collaboration, intelligence sharing, and cooperation among security agencies to effectively tackle banditry and other violent crimes.