₦airaland Forum

The police Force has dismissed a viral video circulating on social media as false and misleading, rejecting claims that a uniformed officer was seen fraternising with armed bandits on motorcycles in Katsina State.

In a statement issued to journalists on Wednesday and signed by Force Public Relations Officer CSP Anietie Okokon Edem Iniedu, the police said the men shown in the footage were not bandits at all but recognised members of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria and registered hunters working alongside security agencies in the Musawa and Matazu Local Government Areas of Katsina State. The video, the Force said, simply captured a routine moment between an officer and these community volunteers as they moved toward an operational area in support of efforts to combat criminality and improve public safety.

"The Nigeria Police Force categorically disclaims the false and misleading narrative accompanying a viral video circulating on social media which alleges that a uniformed police officer was seen interacting with armed bandits in Katsina State," the statement read.

The Force insisted that any suggestion the officer was dealing with bandits was entirely false, malicious and designed to mislead the public, and it condemned what it called a deliberate distortion of facts capable of stoking public anxiety, eroding trust in security institutions and undermining ongoing operations against criminal gangs in the state.

Police urged Nigerians to disregard the narrative attached to the video and to rely solely on information from official police channels and authorised government sources. The Force also warned individuals and groups behind the creation and spread of false information that threatens public peace to desist immediately, cautioning that violators could face legal action.

It reaffirmed its commitment to working with legitimate community-based security stakeholders and other partners in the broader fight to protect lives, safeguard communities and combat crime across Nigeria.

NPF CLARIFIES FALSE BANDITRY NARRATIVE IN VIRAL KATSINA VIDEO, REAFFIRMS PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITY SECURITY VOLUNTEERS

The Nigeria Police Force categorically disclaims the false and misleading narrative accompanying a viral video circulating on social media which alleges that a uniformed police officer was seen interacting with armed bandits in Katsina 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 video captured a routine interaction between a police officer and these security volunteers as they proceeded to a designated operational area in support of efforts to combat criminality and enhance public safety. Any claim suggesting otherwise is entirely false, malicious, and intended to mislead the public.

The Nigeria Police Force strongly condemns the deliberate distortion of facts and the circulation of misinformation capable of causing public anxiety, undermining confidence in security institutions, and frustrating ongoing security operations.

Members of the public are urged to disregard the misleading claims attached to the video and rely only on information disseminated through official channels of the Nigeria Police Force and other authorized government sources.

The Force warns individuals and groups engaged in the creation, publication, or dissemination of false information capable of prejudicing public peace and security to desist immediately, as appropriate legal action may be taken against violators.

The Nigeria Police Force remains committed to working with legitimate community-based security stakeholders and other relevant partners in the collective effort to protect lives, safeguard communities, and combat crime across the country.

CSP ANIETIE OKOKON EDEM INIEDU
Force Public Relations Officer
Force Headquarters, Abuja
24th June, 2026.

Kemical23:
Nigerian police officers are very useless, is this how they want to go about this bandit issue..
The man recording the video said they are bandits in hausa, police is saying different thing..
Come to think of it, they said they are vigilantes, have you ever see vigilantes in such amount with good guns..
Vigilantes that are working with stick and expired guns...
If you like call it fake or whatever, we the citizens know they are bandits... Nonsense...

Memphis357:
Even the main story itself that was on Nairaland Frontpage, Seun Osewa has removed it. You can now agree with me that Seun is complicit in all the ills of the APC government.

tanigororo:
Nigeria Online Media, when I first saw the video, I want to ask how they knew those people were Bandit.

I don't know if being an Hausa man now means you are automatically a Bandit.