TheNewsGuru

Tag: fake news

  • FACT-CHECK: Did the Nigeria police gun down ballot snatchers during Saturday’s polls?

    FACT-CHECK: Did the Nigeria police gun down ballot snatchers during Saturday’s polls?

    A video has gone viral showing gunmen arriving at a polling unit on motorbikes to cause disruption to ongoing election.

    The masked men scared everyone away as they brandished their riffles and went on to destroy the mounter polling booths and election materials.

    Moments afterwards, gunshots were heard as a team of policemen closed in on the hoodlums and gunned down two of them.

    Claim: The video went viral on Saturday just as presidential and parliamentary elections were held in Nigeria and continued to be shared on Sunday, giving the impression that the event has taken place at a polling unit in the country.

    A twitter handle @KNUST_GAINS, posted the video on Saturday at 12:23pm with the caption: “Ballot Box snatchers shot in Nigeria”.

    How true is this claim?: Checks by TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) has revealed that the video was shot in Ghana and was first published in 2020.

    The viral video was a training session of the Ghana Police depicting how they will deal with thugs sent to snatch ballot boxes at any polling unit during the December 7th 2020 election.

    The video was therefore intended to boost the confidence of Ghana citizens in the police’s ability to safeguard their votes during the 20220 general elections which saw the re-election of Incumbent President Nana Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

    The post  by @ @KNUST_GAINS gained over 28, 000 views,  274 likes and 51 retweets. In some of the retweets, the event to pinned to several locations in Nigeria such as Delta, Lagos  and Port-Harcourt states.

    Verdict: The claim that the video was recorded during Nigeria’s presidential and parliamentary elections on Saturday, February 25th 2023, is incorrect and misleading.

     

  • Gov. Yahya Bello’s aide warns against fake news

    Gov. Yahya Bello’s aide warns against fake news

    Dr Gabriel Ottah, Special Adviser to Gov. Yahya Bello of Kogi on Information and Communications, has warned vendors of fake news to desist from the act and focus on communicating development messages.

    Ottah gave the warning on Friday at the first Public Lecture Series of the Department of Mass Communications of Prince Abubakar Audu University (PAAU) Anyigba.

    Ottah who was the Guest Lecturer, said fake news emanated mostly from citizen journalists who had no rudimentary understanding of professional reporting.

    Citing relevant examples, the governor’s aide pointed out that social media had been abused by people who for selfish reasons, published fake news.

    He said while citizen journalists had no regard for social responsibility in passing information, professional journalists considered the positive and negative impacts of stories before publishing them.

    The educationist gave examples of how citizen journalism could be used to promote development such as reporting crimes and accidents or augmenting the traditional media.

    The don, however, lamented that the negative side of citizen journalism was more disturbing as it had caused Nigeria a trying time in our democracy.

    ”Of a particular example was the rumour that President Muhammadu Buhari was dead and that his look-alike, Jibril, from Sudan, was the one ruling Nigeria on contract.

    ”As the 2023 elections were near, if fake news were not discouraged, it could cast Nigeria into chaos,” he said.

    The media scholar and public speaker, therefore recommended that citizens should exhibit self regulation in posting information on the social media.

    He urged government to sanction vendors of fake news without shutting down the medium of communication, adding that scholars should carry out more research on the impact of citizen journalism.

    Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Marietu Tenuche, thanked the Department of Mass Communications for taking the bold step of organizing public lecture series.

    The VC used the occasion to highlight the success stories of the University, especially in the area of full accreditation of some courses.

    Tenuche said the Guest Lecturer, Dr Gabriel Ottah, had exhibited hard work and commitment to duties, a thing that had made it possible for him to have the opportunity for the lecture.

    On his part, the Head of the Department of Mass Communications, Dr Chris Attah, said the Public Lecture Series was a step in the right direction, adding that other academics would follow Dr Ottah in such presentations.

    In his remarks, the state Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr David Apeh, described Dr Ottah as a great scholar “who has dymistified the topic for the lay man to understand”.

    He urged the guest lecturer to keep up his contribution to the body of knowledge.

    The Rector of the Federal Polytechnic Idah, Dr Usman Baba, commended the Guest Lecturer for his “highly educative lecture at this critical time in Nigeria’s democracy”.

    Also, the Provost of the College of Health Sciences and Technology, Idah, Dr Nuhu Solomon Anyegwu, said the position of the guest lecturer should be taken seriously.

    Anyegwu said fake news had the capability to destabilise Nigeria, and if not tamed, could lead to more dangerous situations.

    The highlight of the event was the presentation of a TV set and a public address system to the Department by the Guest Lecturer.

    NAN reports that the first Public Lecture series of the department was attended by public and political officials, particularly the Special Advisers.

  • Drug baron accusation, Tinubu bares his fangs – By Mideno Bayagbon

    Drug baron accusation, Tinubu bares his fangs – By Mideno Bayagbon

    By Mideno Bayagbon

    Not very many people suspected it was fake. It looked and read like a genuine copy, letterhead, reference number, signature and all. But we at TheNewsGuru.com have had to establish a tradition, especially in these political times, of verifying every document, video and even photographs. Fact Check saved us the agony of publishing a press release purportedly released by the Independent National Electoral Commission. It was titled: 

    CERTIFIED TRUE COPY OF CRIMINAL FORFEITURE AGAINST APC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE BOLA AHMED TINUBU IN THE UNITED STATES 

    Our attention has been drawn to the recently released certified true copy of an order of criminal forfeiture granted against Asiwaju Bola Tinubu the presidential flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress by the United State Court of northern Illinois district dated 23rd July 1993.

    The order borders on issues of criminal forfeiture of funds linked to narcotics smuggling conspiracy and money laundering. 

    WE are currently liaising with the Northern Illinois District Court in order to establish more facts about the case before taking a decision.

    We are also studying the judgment in order to determine whether offences which contradict the INEC guidelines and Electoral Act 2022 has (sic) been committed.

    We endeavour to expire the process and shall communicate the results of our findings together with our decision to the general public within ten working dates (sic) from today’s date.

    Festus Okoye Esq

    National Commissioner and Chairman

    Information and Voter Education Committee

    Friday 11th November 2022

    A large segment of the media fell for it. And now, after the expected rebuttal by INEC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is threatening judicial hailstones and brimstones on all the media who helped make such a tendentious, aspiration abridging,  fake press release go viral. It is a sign of the times we are in that even some very serious media platforms fell for the fake release. How the cranky brains behind it must be having a good laugh! And since bad news sells exponentially, the social media was not only awash with it, it was the major trending issue for well over 24 hours. 

    In a Facebook post, the Director, Media and Publicity, APC Presidential Campaign Council, Bayo Onanuga, lambasted the established media organisations: “All those people, including Arise TV, BusinessDay, and Channels TV spreading fake news and assassinating the character of Asiwaju Tinubu: ‘You have all thrown professionalism and objectivity to Jabi Lake because you are playing the script of your master puppeteers, Atiku and Peter Obi. The height of your shenanigans today was the wide use of a fake INEC statement.”’

    Nothing was, however, said about the contentious forfeiture of $460,000 to the United States government by the APC Presidential candidate in 1993 over an alleged narcotics trafficking offence. A US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, according to published records, had ordered the forfeiture over alleged links with drug dealers. This is one of the many swords of Damocles hanging over the candidature of Alhaji Tinubu who is one of the three top contenders for the 2023 presidential elections.  There are many others which we will soon come to. 

    In this era of alternative truths, fake news, deep fakes, and Artificial Intelligence, AI, it is hardly surprising that the media is becoming a ready tool of manipulation by hired digital natives. Lies are masked in beautifully embroidered, seeming truths. In a frenzy to break the news, especially in a clime like ours where channels of confirming news and stories are usually an herculean bottleneck, most media are bound to make costly mistakes and fall victims of cheap political blackmails and manipulations. An avalanche of threats of legal actions will flood the space between now and the elections.

    Media platforms and those who will not invest deeply in checking and cross checking information are at great risk. And truth be told, every serious medium, bombarded daily by social media cretins, most of whom are in the employ of politicians aspiring for top offices, are bound to make the odd mistake now and again.

    What my senior colleague, Onanuga, simply did with the unfortunate broadcasting of the viral fake press release is to be clever by half, nevertheless. Why did he not go the whole hog to state categorically that his principal never suffered the forfeiture of $460,000 to the American government. Why did he stop at threatening to go to court over the fake INEC letter? 

    And for that matter, when will Tinubu come out to address the many issues around him and his candidature? When will he call a press conference and personally address the issues of his alleged link to a narcotics ring about 29 years ago? When will he frontally put to rest the issues of his name, his parentage, his primary and secondary education? When will he come to show, through his personal tax payments, how he acquired the humongous wealth associated with him? When will he confidently showcase his chairmanship or directorship of companies associated with him? Where and how did he acquire his wealth? What does he do for a living? Last most people know of him is that he was a two term governor of Lagos State, a NADECO activist and former staff of an oil company.

    Many “rumours” abound about his alleged wealth and ownership of companies. For example, it is assumed that he owns the Nation newspapers and TV Continental, TVC, a radio station and Alpha Beta among a legion of other issues. But a check at the Corporate Affairs Commission turns a blank when his name is cross checked against ownership/directorship in these establishments. Like so many other issues, Nigerians deserve to know the truth, from the horses mouth.

    Then there is the small issue of his health. True, since he went for his last medical tourism to Europe and the United Kingdom, he has been more spritely and less sluggish. His speech, especially if reading from a prepared text,  of not more than two pages, makes more sense now than before. Yes, his hands are still visibly shaky but his legs wobble less now. And if he speaks in the Yoruba language he is able to communicate with less gaffes. But will he be willing, for example, to join the other candidates in undergoing a medical fitness test? And when will he also grant a live, unscripted interview with journalists of his choice, in a television station of his choice, even if it is with TVC which he allegedly owns? By not doing any of the above, he is giving the wrong impression about his health, state of mind, etc. He is giving the impression that he has something(s) to hide and wants to rough-ride Nigerians  and railroad them into making him another President Buhari who has spent the better part of his presidency hiding the true state of his health.

    He is aspiring to the number one public office in the land. The well over 200 million people he aspires to be president over deserve to have him come out and address these issues and if for nothing else, put their mind at ease that they are doing the right thing voting for him. They deserve nothing less. The current strategy of stonewalling and refusing to concretely address them may succeed in the short term. But it is foolhardy. These issues cannot be wished away.

    If Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu will not dignify Nigerians with personally coming out to assuage their fears, and as they say, in Nigerian humour to “expatiate and elucidate”, on his state of health, his background and his wealth, then he does not deserve to be trusted with the presidency of Nigeria.

     

    Mideno Bayagbon: mideno@thenewsguru.ng

  • A minister’s difficult journey to the National Assembly – By Okoh Aihe

    A minister’s difficult journey to the National Assembly – By Okoh Aihe

    It can be exasperatingly helpless when somebody tries to make a point and nobody seems to understand. So it was the other day as the Information and Culture Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, made a passionate appeal to the lawmakers at the National Assembly to, at least, add more funds to his 2023 budget to enable his ministry perform its responsibilities in the remaining but challenging days of this administration. He was stone-walled by a group of people who seemed to have woken up on the wrong side that very day or probably waited long for the opportunity to deal him a telling blow.

    The reputation of the minister precedes him. You hate him before you see him. People jump to a conclusion before they even hear him. And working for a government whose success is harboured only in the imagination of those who work for it, his job, which he has pursued with unwavering loyalty and doggedness, is particularly difficult, thus earning him some unsavoury sobriquet and a natural attraction to loathsomeness. But he is never one to turn his back in a battle. So, he is resolute in every sense of his job at the Information ministry.

    Lai Mohammed had a case, and a very good one, in my opinion. He had gone before the House Committee on Information to defend the 2023 Budget of his Ministry. With him were his lieutenants from the parastatals under him, which include: Voice of Nigeria (VON), News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) and Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON). It was his final budget defence, he wanted to leave on high personally and leave the ministry in some financial comfort and buoyancy.

    What he got was a shocker. While the ministry enjoyed an approval of N2.5bn in 2022 as capital budget, with N1bn of that sum going to the ministry; for 2023, the House has only approved N869m capital budget for the entire ministry with the ministry itself getting a miserly N346m, making Mohammed to cry out that his ministry “has been dealt a very heavy card in this year’s budgetary allocation.”

    Just looking at the parastatals alone tells you that Mohammed has a very important job to do for the government. Apart from ARCON, the other ones like VON, NTA and NAN are major vehicles of mass mobilisation and information dissemination. Without speaking for the minister, media is not cheap; making it work and getting the right personnel is even more challenging.

    But his concerns are much more than that. Fighting hate speech, fake news and disinformation, which have been his major obsession, serious push back at the international community to educate them on the goings-on in Nigeria, instead of the kind of advisory issued recently on security by some countries, awareness campaign on the coming elections, the national census that may happen in the lifetime of this administration, and above all, just to get the right funds to properly inform Nigerians of the great work that the Buhari administration has done in nearly eight years. One thing you can say about Mohammed is that he doesn’t fit the description of some of the people the President himself accused recently of not speaking well enough of the achievements of his administration. He tries his best and he wants to continue to do so but he needs funds.

    “I fully understand the current challenges the country is facing, but I don’t agree that the ministry of information and culture at this critical time should have less, it actually should have more,” he appealed.

    The minister is only getting a small taste of what happens to the media each time there is a little dip in the economy. The media is the first to be affected. Everybody loves the media. They want to be seen, they want to be heard, and they want lofty stories written about them, sometimes, just celebrating their inanities. But they cut the budget, take advertising from the media or, in some other orchestrations, make it impossible for the media to operate.

    Apart from some kind of excuses the lawmakers pleaded, I want to observe here that the minister was unfairly treated. He got a raw deal. Some obviously have premeditated reasons for not listening to the length of his appeal. Apart from the Committee Chairman, Hon. Olusegun Odebunmi, who counselled the minister to return to the executive to launch his appeal, a member of the Committee, Hon. Ahmed Jaha, simply told the minister it was hard for them to do anything as the National Assembly members had been serially accused of padding budgets.

    “It’s the same federal government that will come through the ministry of information and accuse the National Assembly of padding the budget. So, minister, I want you to understand that we are being placed between the devil and the deep blue sea,” the lawmaker said without mincing words.

    It was payback time, and that smacks of some cheapness. In the description of the 6th Edition of the Nigerian Broadcasting Code, both NTA and VON are public broadcasters which should be funded by the government or the public, as they shouldn’t generate money through advertising. But the Nigeria situation is amorphous as the public broadcaster, like the NTA, collects lots of money from advertising, but accounting for such revenue has always been a matter of concern. It then becomes difficult to make a case for government support but it does not absolve government of its responsibilities to the stations.

    Irony has no respect for anybody, not even the occupant of the big office of the minister who has only been made to experience what it means to have power and yet be castrated into helplessness. Which is what he has done to broadcast operators since he assumed office. Under his watch, private broadcasters have been made to feel pain as they are often threatened or sanctioned without following due process. It is not that the broadcast regulator, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) would not know what to do, it is often pressured to expedite the speed of punishment and impose sanctions.

    It may not be superfluous to also point out to the minister that some of the parastatals under him, like the VON, NTA and NAN, have not been properly run, and that could irritate some people, including the lawmaker who accused the platforms of being used by the government against the legislative arm. They are public channels but their public seems to be approximated only by the government. Opposition parties or even dissenting voices have no place in their programming arrangement. Good professionals who should be allowed to thrive in their trade are micromanaged by the ministry and thrust on the borderline of mediocrity, to their shame and impotence. Were the government outfits allowed to run more professionally, perhaps it would have more support from the advert market, no matter how incongruous the idea is, and enjoy more hefty votes from the National Assembly.

    And this leaves me with a plea. Is it possible for the minister to spruce up the operations of the agencies under his ministry – NTA, VON and NAN, among others before the end of this administration, early next year? At least make them run like media outfits and not some kind of rag-tag ministerial appendages. It will be a befitting parting gift. But is such a good thing capable of coming from this administration with tendentious fidelity to the illusory reality of life in our nation, and obtuse entitlement to non-existent achievements? I wait to be proved wrong.

  • INEC reveals what could threaten 2023 elections in the country

    INEC reveals what could threaten 2023 elections in the country

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has made a list of areas deemed as threats to the 2023 general elections in the country.

    The electoral body listed social media, fake news , thuggery sponsored by some political actors and the perennial issue of insecurity in different parts of the country as major threats that could hamper the election come 2023.

    INEC Chairman, Mahmoud Yakubu, revealed this in Washington DC, USA, during an event organised by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES).

    The INEC boss, noted that the publication of fake election results during and after elections is a potential trigger for violence further assured his commitment to continue to deepen cooperation and relationship with organized social media platforms.

    “I say it is a perennial issue because at the end of the day, it is nothing new. However, the dimension of insecurity is a concern in the sense that in the past, it was localized or confined to a particular part of the country, the northeast. But now it is more widespread and we are keeping our eyes, particularly on the northwest and the southeastern parts of the country.

    “Elections are conducted by human beings. We worry about the security of our officials, voters and the materials to be deployed. Without them, we cannot conduct elections. We have spoken to the security agencies, they have assured us that the situation will improve before the elections. So, fingers crossed. Those who are supposed to secure the environment have assured us that they will secure the environment for us to conduct elections. Our responsibility is to conduct elections.

  • 2023: What the interest of every politician should be – Jonathan

    2023: What the interest of every politician should be – Jonathan

    Ahead of the 2023 elections, former President Goodluck Jonathan has said the interest of every politician should be the people first, adding that those who are going into politics to make money should rather go into business.

    Jonathan disclosed this in Abuja at the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation 2022 Peace Conference with the theme, “Nation Building: The Role of Peaceful Elections in a Multi-Ethnic Context” while stressing that the biggest threat to democracy is no longer the gun, but propaganda, fake news and disinformation.

    Jonathan urged young Nigerians to embrace good conduct rather than hate speech, saying those advocating for violence and orchestrating fake news were the big threats to democracy.

    “We must discourage this issue of hate speech and propaganda that are going on because before this time, we were always afraid of the gun as a threat to democracy.

    “But the biggest threat to democracy now that we know is the issue of propaganda, fake news and hate speech. Anybody that is an advocate or vanguard of this is a threat to democracy just like the gun.

    “So, our young people should know that we must embrace good conduct that would lead to good elections,’’ Jonathan said.

    Jonathan also advised political parties, their candidates and supporters to put the country first in their conducts towards the 2023 general elections.

    “I always say that, first we must have a country and state before you talk about having a president or having a governor. If you destroy the country, then where do you need a president? We don’t need a president.

    “So, anybody that is interested in leadership at the level of the president, governor, senator etc you have the biggest stake of protecting the country.

    “If you know where nations are in crisis, you will not think about economy and before you know it everything will go down.

    “So, those who want to be president, governors and their supporters should first know that we need a nation before whoever you are supporting can emerge as a governor or president,’’ Jonathan said.

    He added that the interest of every politician should be the people first; saying those who are going into politics to make money should rather go into business.

    Jonathan urged religious leaders and civil society to continue to sensitise Nigerians until the country was better.

    The former president, who noted that the electoral process of the country had improved, said that with the introduction of technology it would continue to be better and faster.

    The Executive Director of the foundation, Ms. Ann Iyonu, said that as the 2023 election approached, there was a compelling need now more than ever for multi-stakeholder consensus building towards ensuring credible, transparent, and peaceful elections in Nigeria.

    Iyonu said that to avoid a situation where elections divide rather than strengthen nations, all stakeholders needed to make a conscious effort to embrace and promote a culture of peace, justice, equity, and fairness for all groups in the polity.

    She said that the aim of the conference was to provide the avenue to examine how the Nigerian democratic space had evolved, discuss the trends and threats to an inclusive and peaceful election.

    “Promote the culture of tolerance among different political actors and highlight best practices for the conduct of credible and violence-free elections in Nigeria.

    “We also hope that at the end of the deliberations, we would have canvassed strategies toward nation-building that will consolidate our nation’s 23 years of democracy and sustain a culture of peaceful elections in the country,” she said.

  • Girl captured in viral sex video with dog is not dead – Police

    Girl captured in viral sex video with dog is not dead – Police

    The Lagos State Police Command said that the publication, with the caption “Girl captured in viral sex video with dog dies of Infection”, is fake.

    The Command’s Spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, disclosed the fake news in a statement on Friday in Lagos.

    “The attention of the Lagos State Police Command has been drawn to this publication which, dated May 10, 2022, and credited to one Kayode Ajiboye of Independent Newspapers.

    “As this borders on an ongoing police investigation, the Command reached out to the author of this article for information that would help the police conclude and close the investigation.

    “Shockingly, however, the author claimed he could not verify the story but simply lifted it from an online blog.

    “The author did not also credit the original source (plagiarism) of the news in consonance with simple ethics of journalism.

    “He also made no attempt to fact-check the news, thereby making himself susceptible to the spreading of fake news, especially knowing how critical and sensitive the facts in the issue were.”

    According to him, available facts suggests that the author is in cahoot with the wanted suspect to help her evade justice, which in itself is a criminal offence.

    “It is the duty of every Nigerian to support the police in any ongoing investigation, it is criminal to publish false information with intent to mislead the public.

    “It is equally criminal to subvert criminal investigation and obstruct police officers in the discharge of their duties.”

    The spokesperson says in line with its stance on transparency, the Command brings update to Nigerians and gives assurances that the ongoing investigation has been re-focused appropriately.

    He said that the Command encourages anyone with useful information on the matter to make same available to the police using any of their available communication channels.

  • I thought story of your death was another fake news, Ex-Senate President Anyim mourns late Sen Gbenga Aluko

    I thought story of your death was another fake news, Ex-Senate President Anyim mourns late Sen Gbenga Aluko

    Former Senate President, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim in a tribute on his former colleague, Senator Gbenga Aluko said he thought the news on his passage was another fake news.

    Anyim in a tribute personally signed by him described Senator Aluko as a trusted and reliable ally with friendly disposition while they served Nigeria in the Fourth Senate as young legislators.

    In the eight paragraph tribute, the ex-SGF went memory lane narrating how Aluko was the most active on technology and his vibrancy was very visible.

    Read full tribute below:

    TRIBUTE TO A FRIEND, A COLLEAGUE AND A GENTLEMAN:
    DISTINGUISHED SENATOR GBENGA ALUKO
    We came to the Senate amongst the youngest, you were the most active on
    technology of all of us and so became the frontline driver of all the Senate
    activities.

    You were vibrant, intelligent and of great friendly disposition.
    You were not only my colleague but my friend and ally. When we left the Senate,
    I had an occasion to write a referral for you and I took time to pour out my
    heart on who you are.

    You were full of life, youthful and agile in all your manners. I am coming to
    accept the reality that it could be true that you are no more. The news appeared fake as it was not believable. I mustered the courage to write this tribute because it appears that preparations for your final rite of passage have become
    inescapable.

    Just a week before your demise, we spoke on how to meet in Lagos for my Zik Prize Award Ceremony. When you did not turn up, I thought some other
    important engagements held you up. The next I heard was your sudden demise.

    Only God knows why this should be and we cannot question God.
    Let me use this opportunity to convey my deepest condolences to your
    immediate family, the 4th Senate, the people and Government of Ekiti State and indeed Nigeria. I am inclined to state that your sudden demise is a national loss and indeed a personal loss to me.

    My brother, as you set out on the journey back to your maker, may the Almighty
    God receive your soul in His bosom.
    Adieu my friend and brother
    my
    Anyim, Pius Anyim, GCON.

  • Umahi’s ex-aide detained over alleged fake news, slumps on arraignment

    Umahi’s ex-aide detained over alleged fake news, slumps on arraignment

    A former media aide to Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State, Godfrey Chikwere, has been arrested over alleged fake news.

    Chikwere allegedly made a post on his Facebook page that the Nigerian Army had lost self-respect and that politicians were the ones behind killings and would be the ones to give victims’ families money to startup businesses, in the state.

    Speculations making the rounds, which were read on several social media platforms, on Sunday, said the Commissioner for Information and Orientation in the state, Uchenna Orji, was behind his arrest.

    According to reports, he was to be arraigned in court, on Monday, by the Police, but reportedly slumped at the Command’s Headquarters, as a consequence of ill-health.

    The suspect, popularly known as Baby Mouth, it was further learnt, is reportedly at the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, receiving treatment.

    His wife, Onyinyechi, confirmed his ill-health to journalists, in Abakaliki, on Monday.

    According to her, “My husband started falling sick, on Sunday night, when he was in the Police station. So, it became worst and the Police clinic couldn’t handle it. He has been at AE-FETHA, since morning.

    “They (Police) couldn’t diagnosed anything at the Police clinic but he was in serious health crisis. So, now we are at AE-FETHA. From the explanations on ground now, what is wrong with him is acute Appendictis. But I don’t know yet.”

    The Commissioner for Information and Orientation in the state, Uchenna Orji, said the suspect was neither a journalist known by the State Government nor the Nigeria Union of Journalists.

    Orji noted that the suspect was one of those spreading fake news and hate speeches across the state, adding that the Government was tracking those perpetrating such acts.

    The Commissioner said, “My attention has been drawn to the publications in the social media that the Office of the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, in Ebonyi State, caused the arrest and detention of a journalist in the state.

    “I want to use this medium to categorically state that the person being referred to as Godfrey Chikwere is not a journalist known in Ebonyi State. I had to confirm from the NUJ and they clearly stated that he is not a journalist.

    “But the truth of the matter is that the Ministry of Information and Orientation in Ebonyi State, in keeping with its mandate of ensuring the orientation of the people against all forms of bad habits, and in keeping with its duty of sensitising the people and ensuring the implementation of Ebonyi State law on Cybercrime Prohibition (012) 2021, we had to swing into action by ensuring that we track all persons spreading fake news.

    “Incidentally, this Godfrey Chikwere, happens to be one of those found to be in the habit of posting fake information and also spreading hate-speech.”

  • Reports of helicopter supplying arms to criminals in Kaduna fake news – Official

    Reports of helicopter supplying arms to criminals in Kaduna fake news – Official

    Mr Samuel Aruwan, the Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Kaduna State, says reports of helicopter supplying arms to criminals in the state is false.

    Aruwan said in a statement issued on Friday in Kaduna that the report was a fake news alert.

    “The attention of the Kaduna State Government has been drawn to the circulation of a story by certain blogs and social media pages alleging that helicopters supplied gunmen with arms at Ungwan Dankali and Tsallaken Dogo in Zaria Local Government Area on the night of Jan. 6.

    The commissioner said following the publications, the Kaduna State Government was inundated with enquiries from people of the state who expressed concern as to the veracity of the story.

    “The state government hereby wish to inform residents that from thorough checks conducted by security agencies and Human Intelligence networks, the story is entirely false and misleading,’’ he said.

    Aruwan advised citizens to treat the story as an outright falsehood, and denied the report in all media channels.

    According to him, security operatives are trying to trace origin of the fake story.

    He said government remains committed to working with security agencies for peace and security.

    The commissioner urged people of the state complement government’s efforts by volunteering useful information to security agencies and to avoid spreading false and unverified reports.

    He noted that the Kaduna State Security Operations Room remains open to residents to volunteer useful information on phone lines: 09034000060, 08170189999 and via email: internal.security@kdsg.gov.ng .