“Nigeria Police smiling and waving to a group of Armed terrorist Crossing Through Police Checkpoints”

 1. The Viral Video That Started Circulating Around June 24 - 25, 2026

A video went viral showing uniformed police officers at a checkpoint appearing to wave through armed men on motorcycles in Katsina/Zamfara area.

Claim on social media: “Police hailing bandits at checkpoint, exposing Nigeria’s security rot”

Police response - Official: The Nigeria Police Force says the video is being misrepresented. According to Force PRO CSP Anietie Iniedu:

• Those weren’t bandits
• They’re registered members of Vigilante Group of Nigeria + registered hunters
• They’re supporting security operations in Musawa and Matazu LGAs, Katsina
• It was routine interaction as they headed to designated operational area

Police called the narrative “false, malicious, intended to mislead” and warned legal action against people spreading misinformation.

2. Why This Is Trending Now

Public context fueling suspicion:

1. Mass abductions ongoing - 98 criminal incidents in 7 days: 27 banditry attacks, 24 kidnappings
2. Trust deficit - Past videos of alleged security collusion, including 2021 helicopter video that was later fact-checked as from Central African Republic, not Nigeria
3. North-West insecurity - Zamfara/Sokoto/Katsina hit by surge in mass kidnappings. Reuters reported 62 hostages rescued in Jan, manhunt in April, villagers abducted in June

So when people see armed men + police together, default assumption becomes “collusion”.

3. Other Recent “Fake Video” Cases

Police have debunked several viral videos in 2026:

• Ogun forest bandits video - Actually Kenya 2022 GSU drone footage of cattle rustlers
• Police helicopter “supplying bandits” - Police: Was legitimate aerial support for tactical ops
• Ogun man arrested - Posted fake bandit attack video to “gain followers”
  

4. The Bigger Trend: Vigilantes vs Bandits

What’s real:

1. Community vigilantes/hunters are armed and work with police/army in North West/North Central. They wear civilian clothes but carry weapons

2. Hard to distinguish visually - Both bandits and vigilantes ride motorcycles, carry AK-47s, operate in forests
3. Police routinely move with them for joint ops. That’s what NPF says happened in Katsina video

Why people don’t believe it:

1. Past allegations of compromise - Some security personnel have been arrested for selling weapons to bandits in previous years
2. Bandits move freely - Sahara Reporters claimed voice in video said “Bandits with weapons are moving freely”
3. Security failures - 39 Zamfara residents abducted, 15 killed in Niger in last 36hrs

5. Police Position

NPF says:

• They’re partnering with “legitimate community-based security stakeholders”
• Misinfo “undermines confidence in security institutions”
• Rely only on official channels

The specific “waving terrorists” video from June 24 is officially a case of misidentified vigilantes, per NPF. But the trend reflects real public anxiety about insecurity and trust in security forces in the North West