The Kwara State government has debunked claims that nine of its 16 Local Government Areas are under the siege of bandits, describing the allegation as false and misleading.
In a statement released in Ilorin on Wednesday, the Commissioner for Communications, Mrs. Bolanle Olukoju, dismissed the claim attributed to former presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, urging him to delete the post from his X (formerly Twitter) account.
Olukoju condemned the post as “irresponsible” and warned that such misinformation could undermine the efforts of security agencies working to maintain peace in the state.
“We wish to alert the public to some reckless claims that nine local government areas of Kwara State are under siege by bandits. This is totally false. No local government area is under siege in the state,” the statement read.
According to her, while the state has faced isolated security challenges, exaggerating the situation through fake news only serves to incite fear and confusion among residents.
She further accused political opponents of amplifying false narratives online to create panic, describing them as “the online promoters and equivalence of bandits.”
Olukoju added: “We regretfully observe that Mr. Peter Obi has lent his social media handles to spreading such fake news. This is not expected from him as a statesman. We request Mr. Peter Obi to bring down the post as it is totally false and inappropriate.”
The commissioner appealed to the public to verify information before sharing, stressing that spreading falsehoods could cause unnecessary tension and psychological distress.
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