The Ogun State Police Command has berated purveyors of fake news, particularly those that create fear in the minds of the citizenry, describing the act as criminal.
The rebuttal is coming on the heels of news that made the rounds that gunmen Thursday invaded Obada-Oko, Oke-Ata and some parts of the state capital.
Stating that the alarmists went as far as calling on schools in the mentioned areas to close and send their pupils back home, a development the Command felt the need to nip the situation in the bud and, as such, sent out its operatives to the said areas,
It discovered that nothing of such took place, not just in the mentioned areas but in any part of the state. The Command has, therefore, said it is poised to apprehend those behind the misinformation.
The statement, e-signed by the Command’s Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, read thus: “The attention of Ogun State Police Command has been drawn to a false alarm raised by some unknown persons in the early hours of today, Thursday, 23rd of June 2022, that some gunmen have invaded Obada-Oko, Oke-Ata and some parts of Abeokuta metropolis.
“The alarmists went further to ask schools in those areas to close and send their pupils to their different homes for safety.
“Having heard of the false alarm, the Commissioner of Police, CP Lanre Bankole, quickly deployed some officers and men of the command to the area, only to find out that nothing of such is happening anywhere around the mentioned places.
“The command is, therefore, appealing to members of the public to discountenance the false information, as nothing of such is happening anywhere in Ogun State, and our people should therefore go about their lawful businesses without fear of any form of harassment or intimidation.
“In view of this, the Command wishes to warn those behind such false alarm to desist from it, as the tactical teams of the command have been activated to go after them and bring them to book.
“Raising false alarms to cause panic in the minds of the general public is a crime and such barbaric acts will no longer be tolerated.
“To be warned is to be armed”.