Akwa Ibom State Commissioner of Police CP Baba Azare with suspected masquerade arrested in Uyo
Tension rippled through parts of Akwa Ibom last week after a false report claiming that female students of a secondary school in Oron had been abducted spread rapidly across social media.
NATIONAL ACCORD reports that what began as a rumour soon snowballed into statewide panic before the government stepped in to debunk it.
The police have now arrested three individuals believed to be behind the circulation of the fake kidnap report.
The suspects—Lexis Christopher, Stephen Okwen and 15-year-old Favour Emenyi, a student of Mary Hanney Secondary School, Oron—were picked up following an investigation into the viral claim.
Police spokesperson, DSP Timfon John, confirmed that the suspects “were on their way to court” to face charges related to the misinformation that unsettled residents.
According to her, the Commissioner of Police, Baba Azare, is deeply concerned about the rising wave of fake news across social media platforms, cautioning that such deliberate misinformation has the potential to “create panic and undermine the existing peace in the state.”
Azare has ordered tighter community engagement and closer monitoring of emerging threats, directing officers to ensure that anyone found circulating harmful falsehoods is traced and prosecuted.
The CP also frowned at the growing disregard for the Inspector-General of Police’s directive banning officers from escorting unauthorized VIPs.
He stressed that any policeman caught accompanying “private individuals, politicians, or VIP not duly approved by the Force Headquarters” would be arrested immediately.
According to him, erring officers “will be disarmed, subjected to orderly room trial, and sanctioned accordingly,” adding that Area Commanders and DPOs would be held accountable for the behaviour of their subordinates.
Azare, further, reminded officers of the state government’s ban on masquerade displays, which have recently sparked pockets of violence and public disturbances.
He ordered tight enforcement of the ban and warned that any officer who fails to act decisively would face disciplinary action.
In a related development, the police also arrested David Effiong, who was reportedly roaming the streets in full masquerade regalia and “disrupting public peace,” the PPRO said.
