*Says new post shows photo of 2010 accident
*Adds: Command investigating culprits behind the fake news
BY Kemi Kasumu, General Editor
In as much as there is freedom of speech as guaranteed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Ogun State Police Command warned that, “such freedom does not license anybody to be peddling dangerous rumours that can cause breach of public peace. In view of that, the Command is investigating those behind the senseless rumour with the view of bringing them to justice as they can be best described as enemy of the State.”
In what appears to be the new stage in the sentiment against Fulani herdsmen in some states of Southern Nigeria, the Ogun State Police Command, on Wednesday, rose to the new challenge debunking yet another media report of an alleged attack by herdsmen along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The Command also said there was not truth in the news about anonymous security alert letter said to have been “written by a faceless student group urging students and members of the public not to travel along” Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
This was contained in a statement issued by Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Abimbola Oyeyemi, in Abeokuta, copy of which was sent to The DEFENDER, on Wednesday.
The statement said that, “The attention of Ogun State Police Command has been once again drawn to an alleged attack by herdsmen along Lagos/Ibadan expressway as well as an anonymous security alert letter written by a faceless student group urging students and members of public not to travel along that route. The faceless group also posted a simulated voice recording on social media where some people are crying and pleading with their alleged attackers not to kill them.
“The Command wouldn’t have dignified the disgruntled elements with a response but in order to allay the fears of public, the true security situation along that axis has to be made known to all and sundry.”
On what really happened, the Police spokesman said frankly there was no any attack by herdsmen or any other group in all the stretch of Expressways across and within Ogun State, making bold to say that the alleged attack posted on social media is a lie “from pit of hell fire”.
Oyeyemi said, “To start with, there is no any attack by herdsmen or any other group in all the stretch of Express Ways across and within Ogun State, we make bold to say that the alleged attack being posted on social media is a lie from pit of hell fire being peddled by those who are not happy with the peaceful atmosphere in Ogun State. The picture attached to the post is a picture of an accident which occurred about Eight years ago exactly on the 31st of July 2010 to be precise; while the purported voice recording was a stage managed one.”
Speaking on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway where the attack was purportedly carried out, the Command said the road “is one of the busiest roads in Nigeria and the Command is not oblivious of that fact. For that reason, there has been massive deployment of Police operatives from FSARS, Anti-Kidnapping/cultist unit, PMF as well as Conventional Policemen on surveillance and monitoring operatives and patrols to ward off any act of criminal activities on that road.”
In as much as there is freedom of speech as guaranteed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Ogun State Police Command warned that, “such freedom does not license anybody to be peddling dangerous rumours that can cause breach of public peace. In view of that, the Command is investigating those behind the senseless rumour with the view of bringing them to justice as they can be best described as enemy of the State.
“We hereby enjoin the good and peace loving people of the State to discountenance the rumour and go about their lawful businesses without any fear of harassment or attack from anybody or group. Any suspicious movement or gathering should be reported to the Police and other sister security agencies as quick as possible and quick and adequate response will be accorded such report,” said the State PPRO.
Some of the people asked to react to the dangerous rumour told The DEFENDER that those who caused trouble that led to the killing of over 700 Fulani herdsmen in Mambila plateau Taraba, 75 people in Benue and a pocket of killings in Ekiti and other places might have shifted their focus to Ogun State and warned that no Ogun State resident should dignify them.
One of the respondents (names withheld) said, “The only way people in Ogun State will have successfully allowed these agents of the devil wanting to collapse Nigeria at all cost to get away with their loots is by dignifying their dangerous rumours with sign of belief. Don’t do that. Don’t believe any of such rumours. I have plied Lagos-Ibadan Expressway today and there was no sign of apprehension around to suggest that there was anything like that that happened.
“They wanted restructuring but we said restructuring can only work if their intention for demanding for it is sincere. They failed on that. They came clear saying Nigeria should divide and different regions going their different ways and then you have Niger Delta Avengers, Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) and Oodua Republic agitators spring up asking to be allowed to go. All of these done mainly to cause confusion for President Muhammadu Buhari’s war against their corruption both of the past and present but they also failed at that. Now is for them to blackmail the President saying he, a Hausa/Fulani and Muslim man is using herdsmen to Northernise and Islamise Nigeria, which is the reason they are doing all of these “herdsmen” imbroglio which sentiment was kick-started by Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and has now been taken over by both a section of the Nigerian Press and opposition groups.”
This respondent is noted for using his published articles and social media posts to hit hard on CAN, persistently accusing the supposedly religious group of responsible for the genesis of the disturbances in the country through its alleged misrepresentations of facts about particularly the “herdsmen attack theory”, now exposed by many as the peak of #CorruptionFightBack struggle against the sitting government.
In the meantime, the Ogun State Police Command’s resolve begin investigations into the latest fake report of herdsmen attack on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway with a view to arresting the culprits has been applauded.
It would be recalled that the Command had got to contend with two of such dangerous rumours earlier, which it blamed on mischief of an online media organisation (not The DEFENDER) and a newspaper, respectively, practicing journalism in Nigeria. The DEFENDER, in one of its report of its reactions therefore, had then published calls for the Ogun State Police Command not to stop at mere debunking of such fake news but moving steps forward to investigating, arresting and prosecuting the culprits to serve as deterrent to others.
