The Kwara State Government has clarified that the Nigerian Army did not arrest any armed bandits in Ifelodun Local Government Area of the state, contrary to disinformation circulating on social media platforms.
The government stated that the Nigerian Army did not arrest any armed bandits in any part of Ifelodun.
This clarification was contained in a statement signed by the state Commissioner for Communications, Bolanle Olukoju, on Sunday in Ilorin.
“We have carefully watched the short video in circulation in which some individuals arrested claimed they were in possession of a vehicle given to them by the ‘Ilorin Government’ and weapons they received ‘from Abuja’. While the circumstances surrounding 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, has reported such arrests in Kwara. They were reportedly arrested in Auchi, Edo State,” the statement read.
The statement added that no state government has the power to arm anyone with AK-47 rifles, and the individuals did not claim that the Kwara State Government gave them any weapons.
The Ifelodun Local Government Authority clarified that the security van was initially given to vigilantes deployed in Ifelodun to strengthen security. These vigilantes have since left, but the local government had repeatedly complained that the van was not returned to its pool.
Olukoju noted that to win the war against banditry and other violent crimes, enhanced inter-agency coordination, intelligence sharing, and cooperation among security agencies are necessary. She urged the public, especially online media platforms and bloggers, to avoid biased interpretation or misrepresentation of information, as such behaviour poses a threat to human life and public peace.
