The Gombe State Police Command has debunked a viral social media video suggesting that youths in the state were mobilizing to confront insurgents.
The video, which circulated widely on Facebook, showed gunshots in the background and was wrongly interpreted by some users as a warning to insurgents.
The accompanying caption claimed, “Gombe is ready to protect itself. Nigerians are ready to face the monster, and that’s the bravest way to eliminate it. Fish out all the collaborators within, then face the dragon and slay it. If you have to dig out the gods of your forefathers, do it. The fact is the state police is no longer a debate; it’s a must!”
However, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Abdullahi Buhari, speaking to newsmen on Saturday, dismissed the claim, saying the video was taken during a traditional celebration and had no link to security operations or any mobilization against insurgents.
Buhari explained that the gunshots seen in the footage were fired by local hunters during festivities held to honour the Emir of Gombe during Sallah celebrations.
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“That was a video done by hunters in celebration of the Islamic celebration. It’s usually done to celebrate either Eid-el-Kabir or Eid-el-Fitr in the state. They did that to usher in the Emir of Gombe. If you noticed, the environment is around the kofa (premises) of the king,” Buhari said.
He urged members of the public to verify information before sharing it, warning that misinformation could cause unnecessary panic and confusion.
“I have seen that video. It’s a description of the event in the video. They wrote something entirely different from what was happening in the video. I guess it was written to get traffic and confuse the public. If you listened to what was said, the description was wrong,” he added.
The police spokesperson reiterated the command’s commitment to maintaining peace and security in the state and cautioned social media users against spreading unverified information.
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