The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has strongly denied allegations that a helicopter captured in a viral video was delivering food or weapons to bandits.
A recently circulated video on social media shows a white helicopter landing in a bushy area, surrounded by a group of men. The footage sparked widespread speculation, with some claiming the aircraft was supplying arms to bandits in northern Nigeria.
However, the police have clarified the incident, stating that the helicopter was part of a legitimate joint security operation in Kogi State.
In a statement released Tuesday, Force Public Relations Officer Muyiwa Adejobi explained that the helicopter seen in the footage was providing aerial support during a coordinated operation.
“The Nigeria Police Force wishes to address a video currently circulating online, depicting a police helicopter landing and taking off in an area with armed individuals,” said Adejobi. “Contrary to the misleading and false narrative suggesting that the aircraft was used to deliver food items to bandits, the Force categorically states that the video captures a legitimate security operation.”
He further explained that the operation occurred on Saturday, May 10, 2025, in the Obajana area of Kogi State, involving security personnel, local vigilantes, and hunters targeting criminal activity, including banditry and abductions.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")