Bandits’ Video: A Case of When the Police Is Not Your Friend
by Mohammed Bello Doka
25 June, 2026.
The Nigeria Police Force has long prided itself on a simple motto: “Police is your Friend” Emblazoned on patrol vehicles and recited in public engagements, the phrase is meant to reassure citizens that those tasked with protecting them are allies. But when a viral video from Katsina State emerged showing a police officer casually waving through a heavily armed convoy, that motto rang hollow for millions who watched in disbelief. What followed was not a thorough investigation but a hasty clarification that raised more questions than it answered. The police rushed to tell Nigerians these were not bandits but recognised members of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria and registered hunters. Yet in their rush, they ignored the most damning piece of evidence in the clip: the audio. That omission speaks volumes.
The video, widely shared across Facebook and X, captured a scene familiar in Nigeria’s Northwest. A large convoy of motorcycles carried men in military-style camouflage armed with sophisticated rifles past a police checkpoint. The officer did not stop them, question them, or demand identification. He waved them through with casual familiarity. For many Nigerians, this was proof of what they had long suspected: that security forces and bandits are working together. But the audio sealed the case for the public.
In the video, recorded from inside a passing vehicle, a voice speaks in Hausa. The translation is chilling: “Wadannan duk barayin daji ne.” All these guys are forest bandits. Another voice, addressing someone named Aminu, responds with caution: “Aminu, me yasa kake haka ne?” Aminu, why are you doing this? The tone is fearful. The person recording, a local who clearly knows the terrain, immediately identified the armed men as bandits. Yet the Nigeria Police Force did not deem this audio worthy of investigation. They did not send a team to interview residents. They did not attempt to locate the person who recorded the video. They did not analyse the voices to determine credibility. Instead, they issued a statement within hours, dismissing the entire clip as a routine interaction. This rush to judgment is not the behaviour of an institution that respects the intelligence of Nigerians. It is the behaviour of an institution with something to hide.
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The police claim the armed men were VGN members and registered hunters operating in Musawa and Matazu LGAs, and the encounter was routine as they headed to a designated operational area. If this was routine, why was a checkpoint needed? Checkpoints exist to stop and question suspicious individuals. If the police already knew these men were vigilantes on a legitimate mission, why establish a roadblock? Why not simply allow them to pass? The checkpoint suggests the police were there to screen for threats. Yet they did not screen. They waved. They smiled. They let the convoy pass without a single question. This is not routine. This is negligence at best and collusion at worst.
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Then there are the weapons. The police have assured Nigerians the weapons were authorised rifles for hunters, not military-grade arms. But anyone with eyes sees the discrepancy. The police officers carried standard-issue rifles. The men on motorcycles carried weapons that appeared far more powerful. If these were vigilantes, why are they better armed than the police supervising them? Why does a civilian volunteer group have access to automatic rifles while the police struggle with outdated equipment? The police must answer honestly. If vigilantes are permitted such weapons, explain the legal framework. If they are not, explain why they were not confiscated. The silence is deafening.
And what of operational protocol? Vigilantes in Nigeria do not work without military and other security agencies. They operate under formal supervision, providing local intelligence and acting as a supplementary force. They do not move in large convoys with heavy weaponry while police officers look on approvingly. If this was a joint operation, where were the military? Where were senior police officers coordinating? Why was a single officer at a checkpoint the only visible state representative? The absence of coordinated security raises serious questions about the operation’s legitimacy.
Nigerians are asking vital questions the police have not answered. Why was the audio ignored before issuing a statement? Why were the police so quick to defend the armed men without verifying their identities? Why are vigilantes allowed weapons that rival or surpass police equipment? Why was a checkpoint needed if the convoy was already known and authorised? Why did the officer’s body language suggest familiarity rather than official protocol? These are not frivolous. They are the questions of a citizenry let down too many times, tired of being told what they see is not real.
The police have warned that spreading false narratives could have legal consequences. But it is not the public spreading falsehoods. It is the police asking Nigerians to ignore evidence of their senses. It is the police asking citizens to believe a heavily armed convoy identified by locals as bandits is actually law-abiding vigilantes. It is the police asking trust from an institution that has repeatedly failed to earn it.
The responses from Nigerians make one thing clear: the overwhelming majority do not trust the police, neither do they take them seriously. Across social media, commentators have dismissed the explanation with derision. Many have called for the President and Vice President to resign over security failures. Others have suggested vigilantes should not even hand suspects over to authorities, as they will likely be freed. This level of contempt is not manufactured. It is earned through years of failure, impunity, and gaslighting.
This incident has further damaged the fragile trust between Nigerians and the authorities. Trust is built on transparency and accountability. The police demonstrated neither. They acted not as protectors but as defenders of an indefensible narrative. The motto “The Police Is Your Friend” is a beautiful sentiment. But friendship requires trust. And on this day, the Nigeria Police Force showed it has none. The bandits’ video is not just a viral clip. It is a mirror held to a broken system. And the police, in their haste to defend the indefensible, have only confirmed what Nigerians already knew: when it comes to banditry, the police are not always your friend. Sometimes, they are bystanders. And sometimes, they are something far worse.
Mohammed Bello Doka can be reached via bellodoka82@gmail.com
