In the age of digital virality where videos cross borders in seconds, the line between fact and fiction is often blurred. The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has once again found itself at the centre of a social media storm following the circulation of a video suggesting collusion with criminal elements. The footage, which surfaced on Monday, showed a helicopter landing and taking off near a group of men immediately fuelling allegations of logistical support to terrorists in Kogi State. But the police have come out strongly to set the record straight.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the police spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Olumuyiwa Adejobi, described the circulating narrative as “misleading and false.” According to him, what many viewers saw as evidence of collaboration with insurgents was actually a scene from a sanctioned, multi-agency security operation.
“The police helicopter was deployed as part of the mission to provide aerial support and surveillance to ground forces involved in the tactical operation,” Mr Adejobi clarified.
The operation in question, which took place on Saturday, 10 May, was a joint effort between police forces, local vigilantes, and community hunters in the Obajana area of Kogi State.
Obajana, an industrial axis home to the Dangote Cement factory, has witnessed rising security concerns due to its strategic location and porous terrain. Authorities say the operation targeted known criminal hideouts and was part of ongoing efforts to curtail the movement of armed groups between the North Central and South West corridors.
A Pattern of Panic
This is not the first time a viral video has ignited widespread suspicion around Nigeria’s security operations. In 2021, a similarly emotive video purportedly showing a helicopter dropping supplies to armed bandits in a forest triggered nationwide alarm. The footage was widely shared across social media platforms, accompanied by claims that it captured a covert support operation for terrorists operating within Nigeria.
However, multiple fact-checking investigations later debunked the claim. Independent verification by HumAngle, Africa Check, Dubawa, and an official statement by African Parks, confirmed that the video did not originate from Nigeria. Instead, it was recorded during a routine aerial resupply mission on 4 December 2021 in Chinko, a protected area in the Central African Republic, overseen by the conservation group African Parks.
“The video in question shows an African Parks helicopter delivering food and operational supplies to rangers and staff in a remote conservation area,” African Parks said in a public clarification. “The footage was misrepresented and falsely connected to Nigeria.”
Perception vs. Reality
According to data from the Nigerian Security Tracker (NST) compiled by the Council on Foreign Relations, over 4,556 people were killed in violent attacks in Nigeria in 2023 alone. Of those, 1,234 deaths occurred in the North Central region, which includes Kogi State. The Nigeria Police Force has been under immense pressure to regain public trust amid worsening insecurity and repeated allegations of corruption and inefficiency.
A 2022 Afrobarometer survey found that 68% of Nigerians believe that “most” or “all” police officers are corrupt, while 57% expressed low confidence in the police’s ability to protect citizens. In that environment, optics matter. A grainy clip taken out of context can quickly undermine official narratives, especially when layered on top of longstanding distrust.
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The Vigilante Dimension
The involvement of vigilantes and local hunters in joint security operations continues to complicate public perception, even as it becomes increasingly commonplace due to clear manpower shortages in Nigeria’s security architecture. With approximately 370,000 police officers available for a population exceeding 220 million, Nigeria’s policing falls significantly short of the United Nations’ recommended police-to-citizen ratio of 1:450. According to The cable and a 2023 statement by the Inspector-General of Police, the country needs at least 190,000 additional personnel to meet global standards.
In rural and difficult terrains such as those in Kogi State, local vigilantes often poorly equipped and loosely regulated have become a critical part of ground-level operations.
Their presence is born more out of necessity than strategy. A 2023 police operation in Obajana, for instance, was carried out jointly with local hunters and vigilante groups, an approach that highlights both the gaps in formal security presence and the growing reliance on community-based actors. While such collaborations help plug holes in state capacity, they raise valid concerns over command clarity, oversight, and legal accountability.
What remains concerning is the speed with which public perception morphs into collective outrage, often based on limited or misleading evidence. In Mr Adejobi’s words, the police have urged the public “to disregard the speculation,” which he termed “unfounded and mischievous.”
