The Lagos State Police Command has dismissed a report published in a national daily on Thursday, claiming that hundreds of Boko Haram suspects were arrested in the state.
A statement issued by the command’s spokesperson, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, described the report as false, malicious, and ill-intended.
According to Hundeyin, no such arrests or sightings of the terrorist group occurred anywhere in the state.
Following the publication, the Commissioner of Police, CP Olohundare Jimoh, ordered an immediate investigation to verify the authenticity of the claims.
According to the statement, findings from the investigation revealed no evidence supporting the arrest of Boko Haram suspects in any part of Lagos.
“The outcome of the investigation reveals that there is nowhere throughout Lagos State that the group mentioned in the report – Boko Haram – were seen or sighted or arrested.
“Furthermore, in the trailer park communities mentioned, the leaders, operators, and drivers in the indicated places in the report clarified to the police that there were no such elements of Boko Haram seen or arrested in those localities,” the statement read.
Additionally, detectives from the State Intelligence Department (SID) and other specialised units were deployed to the said locations for verification, but no one confirmed the presence or arrest of such group members.
The police command criticised the publication for attempting to spread fear and panic among residents, urging Lagosians to disregard the report and continue their daily activities without fear.
“The report in its entirety is false, malicious, and ill-intended to cause fear and apprehension in the minds of the public. Lagosians are thereby enjoined to disregard and discountenance the write-up as untrue and a figment of the imagination of the writer which is very unfortunate and despicable and should be outrightly ignored.
“Members of the general public in Lagos State are encouraged by the Commissioner of Police to go about their duties and other means of livelihood without fear or apprehension,” the statement added.
The Command also called on media organisations to verify information before publication, warning against the spread of fake news that could threaten public peace.
