The Police Command in Lagos State has expressed its displeasure over the continuous publication of fake news by some social media outfits and cautioned them and the residents of the state to desist from such an act.
Mr Benjamin Hundeyin, the Command’s spokesman, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday.
Hundeyin, reacting to a trending story on the social media on the arrest of a couple over the death of their maid, described the story as fake.
He said that such a story was giving wrong impressions about the crime level in the state in addition to posing dangers to the efforts of the security agencies in crime prevention and control.
NAN reports that as at press time, not less than 10 online media outfits had published a story about a couple who were arrested over the alleged death of their maid, one Joy Akom Adole, at No.18, Ogundola St., Bariga in Lagos State.
The story stated that last Wednesday, the couple had called the police to report that Joy had committed suicide following a misunderstanding with her madam.
However, part of the story stated that when the police visited the scene, they saw marks of violence on the body of the deceased, pointing at torture.
The Police Command’s spokesperson said: “Our operatives at Bariga received a complaint from a couple that their househelp committed suicide. That is the initial report that they got.”
NAN quoted a paragraph from the false story.
Hundeyin said that the story was not only fake, but was giving wrong impressions about the crime level in Lagos State.
Hundeyin said, “The incident happened in 2020. The command did its work diligently then by arresting the couple, prosecuted and charged them to court and the court sentenced them. As we speak, they are still serving their various jail terms.
“The story that claimed that a former spokesman of the Command, Mr Bala Elkana, confirmed the arrest of the couple in January 2020 was untrue.
“He was not the PPRO of the Command in Lagos State as at then, rather, CSP Adekunle Ajisebutu was the PPRO.
“We feel bad that people can result to carrying fake news, giving the impression that there is an increase in the crime rate in the state. That is very wrong and spreading of fake news is getting too much in the state,” he said.
Hundeyin , however, appealed to the public, particularly, the media to cross check their facts always before publishing their stories.
He said that some people were fond of broadcasting false alarm, and he warned such to refrain from the act.
He said that the command was on the trail of such warning that it would prosecute anyone caught doing that. (NAN)
