Nigerians have been admonished to make efforts to validate news items, videos and so-called eye witness reports on social media before accepting or reacting to them.
Giving this caution in a statement in Abuja yesterday, the Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) said there is need for people to be more circumspect in the way they receive viral posts and pictures so as not to fall victim of purveyors of fake news and hate speech.
In the statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, BMO decried the role played by purveyors of fake news in the mayhem visited on some parts of Lagos by hoodlums masquerading as ENDSARS protesters.
“The mass manipulation of sentiments through social media was responsible for the orgy of looting and destruction of property.
“It is increasingly clear to us that the groundswell for the violence that has gripped the nation’s economic nerve centre Lagos, was the myriad of disinformation as well as the unrestrained flow of wickedly contrived fake news and the so-called eye witness reports purportedly from the Lekki toll gate incident.
“We find it strange that people who claimed to be interested in the affairs of the country could descend to the level of sharing pictures that had no bearing with the incident, to drive the false narrative of a massacre that has already been sold to the international community.
‘Thankfully, we have seen rebuttals, even to the extent that many people who were said to have been killed by soldiers at the toll gate have used the same medium of disinformation to counter the fake news of their death.
“It is indeed sad that a group which was part of the original EndSARS protest, ‘Enough is Enough’ tweeted a damaging claim on the alleged removal of CCTV cameras from the Lekki toll gate few hours before the arrival of soldiers which garnered thousands of likes on Twitter; only to recant after 24 hours and apologize for its folly.
“We have no doubt that such acts of irresponsibility were indirectly responsible for the consequent break down of law and order that led to the destruction of government property, the family home of the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwoolu and businesses believed to be linked to the National Leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Tinubu, amongst others,” it added.
“This is not the first time we have drawn attention to fake news, we did so in the run-up to the 2019 elections when the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) threw caution to the wind in a bid to gain electoral advantages.
“But what we have on our hand today is the physical manifestation of the damage that fake news is capable of doing to our environment if allowed to thrive unchecked.
“So we invite Nigerians to note the aftermath of this wicked manipulation of public perception in the destruction of public infrastructure, individual business places as well as mindless lootings, and the attempt to set ablaze the historical landmark that is the palace of the Oba of Lagos!
“We also saw how a whole commercial street in Lagos was raided by hoodlums who even burgled a church, so we admonish the people to learn how to validate a news item, video or so-called eye-witness report, in the interest of the nation”.
The group noted that all Nigerians have a role to play by being vigilant to the possibility of fake news in both the mainstream and social media.
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