"Na Government Give Us The Guns": Arrested Suspects in Kwara State Security Vehicle Claim Official Backing

A viral video has surfaced showing Nigerian soldiers detaining a group of armed men patrolling in a local security vehicle in Kwara State, with one suspect making explosive claims that their weapons and vehicle were provided by the state government.

The arrest, which occurred in the Ifelodun Local Government Area, captured a tense interrogation where the detained men, seen prostrate on the ground with their hands tied, attempted to explain their presence.

The Suspect's Allegations

In the video obtained by Sahara Reporters, one suspect, speaking in a mix of Hausa and Nigerian Pidgin, directly implicated the Kwara State authorities.

"Ilorin government na him give us this motor and the weapons," the man stated, using the common reference for the state government based in Ilorin, the capital. "They were the ones that gave us the rifles."

He insisted their activities were sanctioned, claiming they had been conducting patrols in the area for some time. He further distanced himself from direct ownership of the AK-47 rifles, pointing to superiors: "We are not the ones that collected the rifles; it was our oga that collected them... All of them are involved. The weapons are theirs." Other detainees could be heard chanting religious phrases throughout the questioning.

Deepening Crisis in the Kwara-Kogi Border Region

This interception comes amid a severe and escalating security crisis along the volatile Kwara-Kogi border. Just one week prior to this arrest, the region was rocked by a high-profile kidnapping that underscores the peril faced by locals.

Three young men—identified as Isanlu Bidemi (33), Olumide (30), and their 17-year-old cousin, Moses—were abducted by suspected terrorists along the Odo-Ogbe axis in Yagba East LGA. The victims were returning from their mother's funeral in Agboro, Kwara State, turning a period of mourning into a "cruel double tragedy" for the family.

According to family sources, the kidnappers initially demanded a ₦10 million ransom per person. When the grieving family managed to gather ₦3 million, the offer was rejected, and the captors intensified their threats and beatings against the hostages.

As of the time of this report, neither the Kwara State government nor the Nigerian Army has issued an official statement addressing the suspects' claims or the circumstances of their arrest, leaving a critical information vacuum in a region desperate for security and answers.