The police in Enugu State have commenced an investigation to unravel the source of a social media report alleging that armed herders attacked a school in Ezeagu Local Government Area of the state.
In a statement on Tuesday in Enugu, the command’s spokesman, Daniel Ndukwe, debunked the report as “false and misleading.”
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Mr Ndukwe, a superintendent of police, said that no such attack occurred in any school within the council area or any other part of the state.
“On-the-spot security assessments, intelligence gathering, operational actions and discreet investigations immediately launched by the command clearly revealed that no such attack occurred in any school within Ezeagu LGA or elsewhere in Enugu State.
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“The command notes with concern the deliberate fabrication and circulation of such unfounded information, which is capable of inciting fear and creating unnecessary panic.
“The information is also misleading members of the public, including school administrators, teachers, students, pupils, and parents.”
Mr Ndukwe said efforts have been intensified to identify, apprehend, and prosecute the individual(s) responsible for originating and disseminating the false report.
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The spokesman said the Commissioner of Police in Enugu, Mamman Giwa, had directed the command’s tactical and intelligence units to intensify efforts to arrest the originators and peddlers of the false report.
He said the originators and peddlers would face the full weight of the law.
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He reiterated the command’s commitment to protecting lives and property, as well as maintaining peace, safety, and public order in schools and across the state.
“Residents are encouraged to disregard the report and remain calm, law-abiding, and security conscious, while promptly reporting suspicious persons, activities and other security concerns to the nearest police station or any security agency,” the spokesman said.
A similar incident occurred at the Esit Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State recently, where police arrested a man, Akaninyene Udo, over an alleged fake Facebook post claiming that bandits were planning an attack in Akwa Ibom.
“The suspect was apprehended following investigations into a viral social media post in which he circulated a threatening message stating, ‘Eket get ready for us,’ accompanied by an image of an armed bandit,” the police spokesperson in Akwa Ibom, Timfon John, said in a statement.
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