Police clarify video allegedly showing its personnel interacting with bandits in Katsina

The Nigeria Police Force has clarified a video circulating online showing a police officer allegedly interacting with bandits riding on motorcycles.

CSP Anietie Okokon Edem Iniesu, Force Public Relations Officer, in a statement described as video as tissues of lies emanating from the pit of hell.

According to the statement, it’s a calculated attempt to destroy the image of the Nigeria Police Force, noting that the video captured a routine interaction between a police officer and security volunteers as they proceeded to a designated operational area in support of efforts to combat criminality and enhance public safety.

“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 statement said

It said any claim suggesting otherwise is entirely false, malicious, and intended to mislead the public, adding that the police force 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.

It urged members of the public 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.