A yet to be identified police officer armed with an assault rifle obviously issued by the Nigeria police is seen in some pictures posing and smiling with a dreaded ‘small boy’ armed with similar weapon in pictures which are causing much uproar online since the pictures made it to the cyberspace.

We can see how happy the officer is as he poses with this armed bandit. The young bandit with a deadlock styled hairdo seem to be wearing what looks like a military or mobile police sweater.

In the second picture, the officer seem to be exchanging numbers with the bandit and another man with a camcorder is recording the strange phenomenon.

Look closely at the boy’s rifle, its looking quiet new. And behind them are men on motorbikes which is a signature means of movement of armed bandits in that axis.

This is not the first time such pictures made it to the cyberspace. Some times ago the pictures of a police officer praying with armed bandits in a bush field surfaced online and it was met with strong criticism.

In another picture we can see the governor of Katsina State Rt. Hon. Aminu Masari posed with armed bandits when the state was trying to cajole the bandits to lay down their weapons in a peace deal that obviously didn’t work because bandits have continued attacking targets in Katsina State and its environs.

A military officers is also visible here.

But now the question is: Are these so-called bandits not over-pampered which is part of why they have continued to be a major security risk to the affected areas?