Segun Atanda/
Troops of the Nigerian Army have arrested a group of suspected bandits found in possession of AK‑47 rifles while travelling in a vehicle resembling a local security patrol van in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The incident has heightened public concern about insecurity in the state.
According to footage circulating online, soldiers intercepted the suspects during an operation in Ifelodun LGA.
In the video, the detained men are seen prostrated on the ground with their hands bound as military personnel question them about their activities and the source of the weapons recovered.
One of the suspects, speaking in a mix of Hausa and Nigerian Pidgin, claimed that the vehicle and the rifles were provided by officials from the Kwara State government.
“Ilorin government na him give us this motor and the weapons,” he stated in the clip, alleging that they had been conducting patrols under the guise of security duties.
The claim has not been officially confirmed by authorities.
The Nigerian Army has not yet released a formal public statement detailing the exact circumstances of the arrest or verifying the suspects’ account of how they obtained the vehicle and weapons.
Security officials in the past have disputed similar claims, emphasising that online reports can be misleading and that military operations continue to record successes against armed groups in the region.
In response to the viral claims, a former Kwara State lawmaker urged a thorough and transparent investigation into the matter, describing the allegations as troubling if substantiated. He also highlighted the broader challenge of insecurity in parts of Ifelodun, where repeated bandit attacks have disrupted farming and displaced residents.
Officials from the Kwara State Government, through the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, have labelled some of the circulating claims as “sheer disinformation.”
They pointed out that the vehicle in question was recovered in Auchi, Edo State, and was originally provided to support vigilante efforts before its loss became difficult to trace following the withdrawal of local operatives.
Security operations in Kwara have been intensified in recent months, with the Nigerian Army deploying additional brigades and equipment to counter banditry and kidnapping in forested areas.
Similar troop deployments have targeted dense terrains used as hideouts by criminal elements, particularly in the southern part of the state, including Ifelodun LGA.
Local authorities have also reported other security actions, including the interception of suspects carrying concealed AK‑47 rifles and arresting couriers linked to criminal networks in the state.
These efforts are part of a broader push by security agencies to stabilise vulnerable areas and reassure nervous communities.
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