Catholic Priest Rejects Police Claim On Armed Men In Viral Video, Calls It ‘Blatant Lie’

Catholic priest, Fada Angelo Chidi Unegbu, has dismissed the Nigeria Police’s explanation that the heavily armed men seen in a viral video were vigilantes and registered hunters, describing the claim as “a blatant lie.”

A viral video circulating on social media showed a convoy of heavily armed men riding motorcycles across different locations. In the footage, a police officer carrying a rifle is seen waving at the armed men, who have been widely suspected of being bandits.

The controversy intensified after voices captured in the video referred to the riders as “barayin daji”—a Hausa term commonly used to describe terrorists. One of the passengers, believed to be recording the video from a commercial vehicle, made the remark, while another cautioned him and questioned why he was describing the men that way.

Responding to the public outrage, the Nigeria Police, in a statement issued by its spokesperson, Anietie Iniedu, maintained that the men in the convoy were “duly recognised members of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria and registered hunters” assisting ongoing security operations in Musawa and Matazu Local Government Areas of Katsina State.

Reacting in a Facebook post, Fada Angelo rejected the police’s explanation, insisting it was “a blatant lie.”

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

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