Security operatives have arrested a gang of suspected armed bandits caught with AK-47 rifles in the Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.

The suspected bandits, who were intercepted by troops during an operation in the area on Friday, have been taken into custody.

In a video online, the suspects were seen prostrated with their hands tied, as security operatives interrogated them regarding the source of their ammunition.

One of the suspects said he got the rifles from some officials of the Kwara State government, alleging they had been operating in the area under the guise of patrol duties for a while now.

“We have been here for quite a while. We are using the vehicle for patrol. Wallahi, na the truth I dey tell you,” the suspect said in the video. “Ilorin government na him give us this motor and the weapons. They were the ones that gave us the rifles.”

Saying they did not privately own the ammunition, the suspect added, “We are not the ones that collected the rifles; it was our oga that collected them. I know because I was with them. We go on patrol many times with them, including oga Victor. All of them are involved. The weapons are theirs.”

Chief press secretary to Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, Rafiu Ajakaye, and police spokesperson Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi did not reply to Peoples Gazette’s request seeking comments on the allegation.

Armed bandits had intensified attacks on churches and schools in several parts of Kwara, especially Edu, Ifelodun and Ekiti LGAs of the state, prompting the government to close down schools in the affected areas to ensure the safety of students.

Aside from deploying more security reinforcement in the affected areas, Mr Abdulrazaq had also announced the recruitment of additional forest guards to support efforts by security agencies in the state.

Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu recently declared a nationwide security emergency and ordered fresh recruitment into the armed forces to reinforce ongoing operations across the country.