The Zamfara State Police Command has arrested a 22-year-old man over a viral video in which he allegedly chanted a song calling for the killing of Christians.

Commissioner of Police A.M. Bello disclosed the arrest on Tuesday at a press briefing in Gusau, the state capital. The suspect was named as Umar Ibrahim Gandi Maradun.

The footage shows a young man in the uniform of the Zamfara State chapter of Jama’atu Izalatil Bidi’a Wa’ikamatus Sunnah (JIBWIS), accompanied by pupils from two Islamic schools in Maradun Local Government Area, Nurul Islam Islamiya and Akidatul Sahiha Islamiya. Police said the video contains the words “give us rifles to go and kill Christians.” Some reports of the video say the chant also referred to Christians in Enugu and Plateau states.

According to the police, preliminary investigation showed that the video was recorded on Friday, October 23, 2026, as the suspect was heading to the Aliyu Ibn Abi Thalib Mosque in Maradun. He and others were said to have been providing security during Friday prayers.

The command said it used its intelligence resources to identify those involved and establish the circumstances of the recording, and that it engaged JIBWIS leaders at the national and state levels after the video surfaced. The group reportedly disowned the suspect’s alleged conduct, then apprehended him and handed him over to the police.

Police said the suspect was born on September 15, 2004, is a native of Maradun, and joined JIBWIS in 2025. He attended Mualledi Model Primary School and Government Day Secondary School in Maradun and recently secured admission to study Mass Communication at Zamfara State University, Talata Mafara.

Reports say he has been accused of alleged incitement to violence, disturbance of public peace and criminal intimidation.

The video drew sharp reaction after it spread on social media. The Christian Association of Nigeria, led by Archbishop Daniel Okoh, asked the DSS, the police and other agencies to investigate, establish where and when it was recorded, and find out whether others organised or facilitated the activity.

It warned against dismissing the chant as youthful exuberance and said anyone found responsible must be prosecuted. Former Kaduna Central senator Shehu Sani also condemned the video and urged that those involved be arrested.

JIBWIS national chairman, Sheikh Abdullahi Bala Lau, has also distanced the organisation from the video and called on security agencies to investigate.

The police have not yet said when the suspect will be arraigned, and investigations are continuing.