A viral video showing a bandit kingpin in military camouflage going live on TikTok to ‘send money’ to his followers has sparked strong reactions and widespread anger in Nigeria.
Videos of the live session were shared on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The session, which has since gone viral, showed several of the bandit kingpin’s followers sharing their account numbers in the comment section, prompting widespread anger and calls for secret police, known as the Department of State Services (DSS) and other security agencies to track down and arrest the terrorist.
Meanwhile, the national police spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi, urged Nigerians to appreciate law enforcement’s efforts rather than expecting immediate results.
His comments followed three pictures shared on X showing suspected terrorists displaying bundles of naira notes believed to be from kidnappings.
“They are now posing with the ransom money. Showing that they are balling,” Zagazola Makama, a security analyst and counter insurgency expert captioned the post.
Reacting to this, Adejobi said: “We can’t apprehend all the criminals at once. At least, appreciate us for the ones we have arrested. We arrest them on a daily basis, in large numbers.
“The armed forces and the police are trying their best. Efforts of security forces should be seen, noticed, and appreciated. We need to look towards having the collective efforts and individualistic involvement in tackling insecurity and other vices in Nigeria.”
– Insecurity and violence in Nigeria –
For more than a decade, civilians in Nigeria have faced multiple security threats and risk of atrocities as result of attacks, kidnappings and extortion by various non-state armed groups.
Since the start of 2024 civilians have faced intensified violence across Nigeria, and near-daily attacks by armed groups resulting in kidnappings and other abuses against civilians.
Armed groups and gangs, including so-called “bandits,” have – for many years – perpetrated widespread atrocities, including murder, rape, kidnapping, organized cattle-rustling and plunder. Armed herdsmen are also destroying vast swaths of farmland, prompting many farmers to abandon their land out of fear of attack.