A social media influencer and critic popularly known as D English Alhaji has raised alarm over alleged threats from suspected Fulani bandits, claiming the armed group contacted him through a WhatsApp video call and warned him to stop speaking against terrorism and insecurity in the country.
In a telephone narration shared on social media, the influencer said the suspected bandits appeared confident during the video call, showing their faces openly and displaying ammunition while threatening to kill him if he continued his advocacy against banditry.
According to him, the callers obtained his WhatsApp number from his Facebook page before initiating the contact.
“Nigerians, yesterday, bandits called me on a video call. They now have confidence to call on video call without hiding their faces. They are everywhere,” he said.
He explained that the encounter initially left him frightened after seeing the faces of the alleged bandits directly on the call.
“I was scared when I saw them face to face,” he stated, adding that the callers questioned him about his religion and demanded that he say something related to Islam during the interaction.
The social critic further disclosed that some of the suspected bandits spoke Yoruba fluently and appeared to be very young.
“They turned the camera to show me ammunition. They sent the picture of where we were talking. After our interaction, they just uploaded the video,” he alleged.
According to him, the callers accused him of encouraging security agencies to kill bandits after arrest and warned that he could also be killed if he refused to stop criticising them.
“They said I should stop talking against them. They said how would I feel if they kill me as I have been advocating that the authorities should kill them when they are arrested,” he recounted.
Despite the threats, the influencer maintained that he would not stop speaking against insecurity and terrorism in the country.
“I told them I will not stop speaking against them. I will not run anywhere because of them,” he said.
He also expressed distrust in the security system, claiming he could not report the matter to “compromised security.”
“We must fight insecurity to the end,” he added.
As of the time of filing this report, security agencies had yet to officially react to the claims or verify the authenticity of the alleged video call and threats.
