Nigeria Police say video shows vigilantes, not bandits

The Nigeria Police Force has denounced as false a viral video circulating on social media that purported to show a police officer interacting with armed bandits in Katsina State. In a statement issued by Force Public Relations Officer Anietie Iniedu, the police clarified that the individuals in the video are registered hunters and members of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN) who are collaborating with security agencies on operations in the Musawa and Matazu Local Government Areas.

The video, which prompted widespread online speculation, shows a long convoy of motorcycle riders passing stationary vehicles as a police officer appears to acknowledge them. Voices in the background of the footage referred to the riders using a local term for bandits, fueling the controversy. The police statement, however, described the scene as a routine interaction between an officer and the security volunteers as they proceeded to a designated operational area to support efforts against criminality.

Iniedu stated that any claim suggesting the video shows police fraternizing with bandits is entirely false, malicious, and intended to mislead the public. The Nigeria Police Force strongly condemns...