Authorities Dismiss Reports Of Armed Bandits Arrest In Kwara

The Kwara State Government has dismissed a viral report suggesting that some armed bandits were arrested in Ifelodun Local Government Area of the State, describing the report as a “disinformation.”

According to a Sunday statement signed by Bolanle Olukoju, the Commissioner for Communications, the state expressed 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.”

The statement reads, “First, the Nigerian Army did not arrest any armed bandits in any part of Ifelodun.

“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 further revealed that the suspects in the video were arrested in Edo State, and the Kwara government is currently awaiting more details as it investigates the circumstances surrounding the incident.

The further reads, “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.

“Indeed, no State Government has the power to arm anyone with an AK-47. Neither did the individuals mention that the Kwara State Government gave them any weapons. 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. These vigilantes have since left Ifelodun. However, the LGA had repeatedly complained to relevant authorities that its van was not returned to its pool.

“To win the war against banditry and other violent crimes, we urge enhanced interagency coordination, intelligence sharing, and cooperation amongst the security agencies.”

“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 an existential threat to human life and public peace,” the statement concluded.