A popular security expert, Zagazola Makama, has weighed in on a video currently making the rounds on social media, depicting suspected bandits alongside Nigerian troops in Katsina State, which has been interpreted by many as a sign of collusion or conspiracy.

According to the counter-insurgency expert, “the incident was, in fact, a manifestation of ongoing non-kinetic operations aimed at restoring peace and stability in the North West region”.

Continuing, he said in a fact-check report published Tuesday on his blog, zagazola.org: “The individuals shown in the video were not in league with the soldiers, but were instead suspects who voluntarily chose to surrender their arms in exchange for amnesty and reintegration into their communities.

“This was the third instance in two months where armed groups had surrendered their weapons and pledged to abandon their crimes, following appeals by community stakeholders and security agencies.

“At about 15:00 hours on June 14, 2025, several kingpins of armed gangs in Dan Musa Local Government Area including Kamulu Buzaru, Manore, Nagwaggo, Lalbi, Alhaji Sani, Dogo Baidu, Dogo Nahalle, and Abdulkadir Black voluntarily handed over their weapons to a delegation made up of community stakeholders and representatives from various security formations.”

The weapons surrendered, Zagazola Makama said, included a PKMG, two AK47 rifles, a G3 rifle and a pump-action gun. “In addition, 16 kidnapping victims, seven women and nine children, were safely released by the suspects, with a promise to release all remaining captives by the following day,” the security expert wrote.

He stressed that the surrendered suspects were currently in custody, while the victims had been handed over to the relevant local government authorities. “Security operations remain ongoing in the area to consolidate peace and stability,” Zagazola added.

He described the incident as “a significant step toward securing peace in Katsina State and strengthening community safety.”