The Federal Government of Nigeria has asserted that the insecurity being experienced in some parts of the country is a direct result of fake news and misinformation.
Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed made this assertion in Abuja on Tuesday while representing President Muhammadu Buhari at the Citizens Summit for National Integration, Peace and Security, organised by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR).
‘This summit couldn’t have come at a better time, with the issues of peace, security, and national unity on the front burner of our national discourse.
‘In recent times, in particular, peace and security have been on the lips of many Nigerians, against the backdrop of rampaging terrorists, bandits, and kidnappers. This crisis of insecurity has, unfortunately, been exacerbated by the twin evil of fake news and misinformation.’
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Mohammed went on to cite examples to illustrate how fake news is fuelling apprehension and anxiety in the country.
The minister said on August 10, 2022, the Kaduna State Government had to debunk an online report claiming that hundreds of bandits had laid a siege on the Kaduna-Zaria road.
Mohammed also said the widely-circulated fake news even advised travellers not to enter or leave Zaria due to the presence of bandits at Dumbi and Jaji on the Zaria road.
‘Imagine the apprehension and disruption of plans that this fake news could have caused. Imagine its impact on the security operatives who are doing everything, including paying the ultimate price, to keep us safe? Also, in April 2022, a drone video showing a group of five men wearing red clothes and cooking inside an unknown forest went viral.
“Those circulating the video claimed it was somewhere in Nigeria. But when BBC did a fact-check on the drone video, it discovered it was not in Nigeria. The video was circulated just to create panic among the citizens and put the society on edge.
“In June 2022, there were reports of bandits using a helicopter to attack residents in four communities in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna. The Kaduna State government had to debunk the story by clarifying the chopper was actually an Air Force helicopter dispatched to repel an attack in the area. Again, imagine the panic that would have been triggered by this fake news,’ Mohammed said.
Mohammed disclosed he has also not been spared by the purveyors of fake news and misinformation, saying countless numbers of fake news have been attributed to him.
He, however, said the Ministry of Information and Culture is addressing the menace through the National Campaign Against Fake News and Misinformation, a nationwide advocacy campaign, in addition to working with the various social media platforms like Facebook and Google to curtail the spread of fake news and misinformation.