According to a statement by the acting Director of Defence Information, Colonel Onyema Nwachukwu, one of the suspects, arrested along the Abuja-Kaduna Expressway during a recent operation, was tied to a stake "in a desperate attempt to extract information from him".

DHQ condemned the conduct and a thorough investigation has been ordered by the Chief of the Defence Staff, Gen Abayomi Olonisakin, to apprehend and punish all those involved. 

The statement read, "The DHQ wishes to unambigously state that the act exhibited by the troops in the video footage is very unprofessional and an outright violation of the code of conduct handed down to guide the conduct and behaviour of troops of the AFN during operations. 

"The DHQ therefore, in very strong terms condemn this act of ineptitude and exhibition of lawlessness.

"The DHQ considers the conduct of the troops highly regrettable. In order to promptly address the anomally, the Chief of Defence Staff has ordered a thorough investigation into the incident to bring to book all those found culpable in accordance with the military justice system."

Col. Nwachucku urged members of the public to report any such misdemeanor to security agencies whenever they are observed.

Nigeria has suffered from a rise in the activities of bandits in recent months with several incidents of kidnappings and killings recorded, leading several security agencies to initiate special operations.