The viral video of police officers on duty at a checkpoint in Katsina waving to armed men in mufti in motorcycle convoy has drawn reaction from the police authorities.
Report that accompanied the video was that the armed men are bandits.
It generated public outrage as many commenters accused police of complicit in banditry while some were of the opinion that the situation had overwhelmed the country’s security operatives and lamented the parlous situation.
Responding through the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Anietie Okokon Edem Iniedu, the police said the armed men in the convoy captured in the video were not bandits but recognised members of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN) and registered hunters assisting security agencies in ongoing operations in Katsina State.
Iniedu affirmed that there was nothing to what played out at the checkpoint saying it was a routine interaction between a police officer and the community security volunteers who were heading to a designated operational area in support of efforts to combat crime and improve public safety in Musawa and Matazu local government areas of the state.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the individuals featured in the video are not bandits. They are duly recognized members of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN) and registered hunters who are actively supporting ongoing security operations in collaboration with security agencies in Musawa and Matazu Local Government Areas of Katsina State,” the statement said.
The Force maintained that allegations suggesting the officer was fraternising with bandits were “entirely false, malicious, and intended to mislead the public.”
