Nigerian troops have arrested a group of suspected bandits in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State after intercepting them with AK-47 rifles and a local security patrol vehicle during a military operation in the area.
The suspects were taken into custody after soldiers reportedly found them patrolling the area under suspicious circumstances.
A video obtained by DAILY GAZETTE shows the arrested men lying face down on the ground with their hands bound as soldiers interrogated them about their activities and the source of the firearms.
During questioning, one of the suspects, who spoke in Hausa and Nigerian Pidgin, alleged that both the patrol vehicle and the AK-47 rifles were supplied by officials of the Kwara State government.
He claimed that the group had been operating in the area for some time under the guise of carrying out security patrols.
According to the suspect, the weapons were not personally obtained by members of the group but were handed over by their superior, whom he referred to as “our oga.”
He insisted that several individuals were involved in the arrangement, including people he identified as senior figures.
“We have been here for a long time, using this vehicle for patrol. Wallahi, I am telling the truth,” the suspect said.
“It was the Ilorin government that gave us the vehicle and the rifles.”
He further claimed that the firearms were officially issued and not privately owned, repeatedly swearing that the weapons belonged to those who allegedly supplied them.
Other detainees, whose hands were also tied, could be heard chanting religious phrases as the interrogation continued.
As of the time this report was filed, the Kwara State government had not issued any official response to the allegations made by the suspects.
The Nigerian Army has also not released a formal statement detailing the circumstances surrounding the arrest or addressing the claims.
Meanwhile, three young men who were returning from their mother’s burial in Agboro, Kwara State have been abducted.
The victims, identified as Isanlu Bidemi (33), Olumide (30), and their 17-year-old cousin, Moses, were reportedly kidnapped on Sunday, December 7, 2025, along the Odo-Ogbe axis of Yagba East Local Government Area.
A fourth traveler, described as a Hausa man, was also reportedly abducted by the gunmen.
The kidnappers are said to be demanding ₦10 million per victim, bringing the total ransom demand to ₦30 million, excluding the fourth abductee.
A family source described the incident as a devastating double tragedy, noting that the victims had buried their mother only hours before the abduction.
The source added that when the family managed to raise ₦3 million, the kidnappers rejected the offer and allegedly intensified threats and beatings against the captives.
The abductors have reportedly been using a single torchlight phone, the only phone carried by the victims, to make repeated ransom calls, further worsening the ordeal for the families.
Residents of Yagba East and Yagba West have expressed outrage over the incident, describing it as another grim indication of the deteriorating security situation in the area and a cruel assault on a family already in mourning.
