Plateau State Governor Rt. Hon. Simon Bako Lalong has dismissed as fake news, reported attack on luxurious buses in the state.
In a statement Dr. Makut Simon Marcham, Director of Press & Public Affairs to the Governor, he said the report is the “handiwork of crises merchants and mischief makers who want to create panic and instigate violence and fear among the people.”
Makut also said that the Governor has directed the security agents to fish out the purveyors of the fake news.
The statement reads:
“Members of the public are advised to ignore a social media post purportedly showing luxurious buses on fire with the caption “Plateau crises and genocide worsens as 2 luxurious buses conveying Igbos down East were set on fire with 156 passengers inside” which is fake, as no such incident happened.
“This is purely the handiwork of crises merchants and mischief makers who want to create panic and instigate violence and fear among the people.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the security situation in Plateau State is very much under control as security personnel have been deployed to all parts of Jos to enforce the 24 hour curfew still in force, as well as also ensure compliance with the dusk to dawn curfew in Jos South and Bassa LGAs.
“The Governor of Plateau State Rt. Hon. Simon Bako Lalong has directed security agencies to track and fish out the purveyors of such fake information whose objective is to cause panic and crisis.
“The public is also advised to desist from sharing such fake information as it can lead to unpleasant consequences for innocent persons.”
Collaborating the story, the Police Command in Plateau described the news as fake speculations.
ASP Ubah Ogaba, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the command, dismissed the report in a statement on Sunday in Jos.
“The command hereby states categorically that there is no record of such incident anywhere in Jos.
“We urge members of the public to disregard and stop the spread of such as fake news capable of inspiring unwarranted panic, hatred, negativity, chaos and tribal conflict among the well-spirited residents of Plateau and Nigeria in general.
“We enjoin all citizens to cooperate with the Police and other security agencies by providing prompt and useful information that will help to enhance the security of the state rather than spreading unverified information capable of heating up the polity.
“On this note, we wish to reaffirm our resolve toward the provision of adequate security within the state and even beyond,” he said.
The command also urged residents to report all suspicious movements, emergency or distress to the nearest police formation for a prompt response.
