The Kwara State Police Command has confirmed the release of six vigilante members who were earlier arrested by Nigerian Army personnel in Edo State.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Police Public Relations Officer SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi explained that the vigilantes were intercepted along the Auchi–Ikpeshi Road in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area in early December 2025 while travelling in a vehicle belonging to the Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The suspects were formally handed over to the Kwara Police Command on December 31, 2025, by Brigadier General N. N. Rume, Commander of the 22 Armoured Brigade, Sobi Barracks, Ilorin, for investigation and profiling.
Following inquiries, police established that the men were legitimate members of a vigilante group working in collaboration with recognised security agencies in the fight against banditry and other crimes. They were cleared of wrongdoing and released to their leaders.
The state Commissioner of Police, Ojo Adekimi, reaffirmed the command’s commitment to inter-agency cooperation and urged vigilante groups to operate strictly within the law. He assured residents of continued efforts to safeguard lives and property across Kwara State.
The arrests had earlier drawn public attention after a viral video in December showed soldiers interrogating the suspects, who were accused of patrolling with AK-47 rifles in a vehicle marked with Ifelodun Local Government’s insignia. One of the men claimed the vehicle and weapons were provided by the “Ilorin government.”
However, the Kwara State Government dismissed the allegations. Commissioner for Communications Bolanle Olukoju clarified that no security agency reported arrests of armed bandits in Ifelodun or any part of the state, stressing that no state government has the authority to issue or distribute assault rifles.
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