By Ewa Innocent, Abakaliki
Ebonyi state government is set to enact a law against fake news in the state.
Governor David Umahi disclosed this during the official kick off of Governor David Umahi’s 2021 annual school sports zonal competition, held at Technical Secondary school, Okposi, Ohaozara local government area.
Umahi who described as unfortunate a situation where people have taken to social media only to dish out fake news, however, stated that although Nigeria has got a sufficient law that would fight fake news in the country, Ebonyi state in addition will enact a law to tackle fake news.
He decried the negative effects of the bad development to the state and the country at large, and warned the youths to desist from such acts, attributing one of the causes of insecurity in the country to fake news.
His words, “It is very unfortunate that our people have taken so much into social media. We have sufficient laws to tackle social media in this country but we are going to make additional laws in Ebonyi State to target online fake news. If we have fake news from the media, we know how to address it. Fortunately for us, we have not been having fake news from journalists other than the emergency online fake news spreaders.
“Part of insecurity in this country is for the reason of fake news.Somebody will stay in one corner of his or her house and conjure something and put it forward”, he said.
Speaking on the social media report that a Fulani suicide bomber blew himself up in Afikpo North local government area of the state, Umahi debunked the report as false and unfounded, as according to him, it was self inflicted accident, and not a case of suicide bomber.
“I have received a lot of calls that there is a Fulani herdsmen suicide bomber in Afikpo, and this is very unfortunate. It is an accident that happened, a self-inflicted accident by a mobile policeman who is not a Fulani man, who is a Christian from Adamawa state. And who has been in this state.
“He was sent to Afikpo North, might have not been in his uniform.Most mobile men go with hand grenades, and it was like an accidental discharge, and he got himself blown up. And that is the exact full story of what happened.
“Even when you examine his face, you know he is not a Fulani man, but the social media is awash that he is a Fulani bomber.”It is very unfortunate because that is creating unnecessary fear in the minds of people. There is no suicide bomber in Ebonyi state.
“We had another accident in front of the old government house Armoured Personnel Carrier, while they were servicing it in front of the old government house. If it is insecurity I should be the first to raise the alarm.The police in the next few minutes, would have come back from the scene of the accident and made an official release to the public. But, this is the information from the Commissioner of Police.
“So, I urge our people, the good people of Afikpo North, to go about their normal businesses peacefully. There was no suciude bombing”, he said.
On the the issue of South East regional security outfit, Ebube-Agu, Gov. Umahi affirmed that: “Ebube-Agu has come to stay, stressing that the outfit was backed up by law which is a lawful demand by the good people of the South East.
He remarked that, “It is very unfortunate that some people believe that everything is politics. If you are law-abiding and you are in the state, you will enjoy the protection of the conventional security and the Ebube-Agu Security”.
Umahi urged the youths to eschew violence and criminality as his government is ready to empower repentant bandits.
