Father Angelo disputes police over viral video of armed men

Catholic priest Fada Angelo Chidi Unegbu has disputed the Nigerian Police’s claim that the heavily armed men shown in a viral video were vigilantes and hunters.

According to the Daily Post, social media was recently inundated with unsettling footage of armed men on motorcycles traveling between locations.

The video shows a police officer armed with a rifle waving to the men, who are suspected bandits.

Background audio in the clip added to the controversy, with a passenger—believed to be recording from a commercial vehicle—referring to the riders as “barayin daji,” a Hausa phrase often used for terrorists.

Another passenger heard in the audio warned the recorder, questioning why he was making that remark.

In a statement from spokesperson Anietie Iniedu, the police said the men in the motorcycle convoy were “duly recognised members of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria and registered hunters” aiding security operations in Musawa and Matazu Local Government Areas of Katsina State.

Fada Angelo responded on Facebook, calling the police claim a “blatant lie.”

He added, “The recent viral video showing police officers making way for and interacting with heavily armed men on motorcycles says it all.”

He continued, “Police authorities immediately tried to debunk the video, of course, as expected, by saying that such heavily armed men were hunters and vigilantes assisting security operations. What a blatant lie! What an insult!”