‘There are plots to cause unrest in Oyo state through fake news’

The Oyo State Government on Sunday raised alarm over plot by some members of the public, especially politicans to cause religious and ethnic crises in the state, with a view to derailing the state government from its focus.

Department of State Security (DSS) had recently released an intelligence report that some people were planning to cause religious and ethnic crises in Oyo and some other states in Nigeria.

• 3 ‘Almajirai’, 8 others, burnt in tanker explosion
• AU would become stale if… – Buhari warns

But the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, who made the revelation in Ibadan on Sunday, warned individual and group of the people engaging in such unholy dealings against the growing false security alarms in the form of fake audio and video posts on social media.

The governor’s aide warned against raising false alarms on the security situation in Ibarapaland and parts of Oke-Ogun, adding that security agencies will readily deal with anyone seeking to cause ethnic tension.

Adisa particularly mentioned that some viral social media video and audio messages in which false and inciting claims were made about Ayete, Igangan, and other parts of the state have been on the rise in recent weeks.

He said “some of such unfounded and baseless posts include the claim that Amotekun Corps killed some Fulani herdsmen, which amounts to a hoax; the claim that an imaginary 200 houses were razed by hoodlums in Labiran, Ibadan, which the Police vehemently denied; and the claims that the insecurity situation in Ibarapa has escalated, which is outright falsehood.

He said, “Our attention has been drawn to a grand plot to precipitate unrest in Oyo State through the use of fake news in the social media.

“This plot seeks to promote false alarms, misinformation and sponsored fake news through audio, video and Facebook messages and it is with a view to making the state ungovernable.

“As a government, the contents of some of these audio and video releases have been investigated and mostly found to be outright falsehood, baseless claims and products of hate speech, targeted only at discrediting the government and inciting the people.

“As a proactive government, the Makinde-led administration has risen to the occasion on the issue of insecurity and we are already winning the war against criminality, with several measures rolled out to tackle kidnapping and banditry in Ibarapa and some parts of Oke-Ogun, while efforts have also been increased to tame the violent gang wars in Ibadan.”