‘Nigeria In Dire Situation’— Ex-minister Decries Video Of Police Greeting Bandits At Checkpoint

Former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung, has described Nigeria’s security situation as dire following the emergence of a viral video allegedly showing armed bandits moving freely through a police checkpoint in the North-West.

In the video, which has sparked outrage on social media, dozens of heavily armed men riding motorcycles were seen passing through a checkpoint while police officers greeted them as they rode by.

The footage was reportedly recorded on a road linking Zamfara State and Sokoto State.

Reacting to the footage, Dalung lamented what he described as the normalization of banditry and the apparent helplessness of security agencies in curbing the menace.

“This country is in a very dire situation,” the former minister said in a statement on Wednesday.

“Seeing that bandits now move openly on highways in large numbers on motorcycles, heavily armed, while security personnel stationed along the same roads can do little more than exchange greetings with one another is heartbreaking and unbelievable.”

Dalung, however, noted that his criticism was not directed at security personnel risking their lives in the fight against insecurity.

“And no, I am not referring to the security operatives who are doing their best to confront these bandits, but what is apparent is the normalization and entrenchment of banditry in Nigeria,” he said.

Questioning the safety of ordinary citizens, the former minister added: “The question now is: what is left for the ordinary citizen?”

The authenticity of the video and the circumstances surrounding the incident have not been independently verified even as the police have yet to issue an official statement on the footage.