The Federal Government of Nigeria has risen up to stand up to the United States and the United Kingdom embassies in Nigeria for issuing “unverified” terror and security alerts on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, expressed his displeasure and that of the government too while speaking at an event on Tuesday, saying that the unverified security alerts have resulted in panic in public places across the FCT and the whole country at large.
He accused both the traditional and new media of being complicit in their spread of information adding that if indeed such a security alert was needed, it was for the attention of citizens of the issuing countries in Nigeria and not for the general Nigerian populace. The minister said some media outlets and social media personalities are in the habit of spreading unverified and fake information on their platforms just for clickbait and monetary gain.
“Suddenly, this alert found its way into the media, both new and traditional; thus, creating panic in the polity. Schools were shut. Businesses were closed. Travel plans were altered. Lives were disrupted. No one cared to find out about the authenticity of these alerts. They just published, got the benefit of massive clickbait, and damned the consequences,” he said.
“Well, I can assure all, that our military and other security agencies have continued to do everything possible to secure and protect Nigerians and foreigners living in Nigeria. Terrorists have been receiving hard hit and put on the run. Bandits have been decimated and scattered.”
Despite escalated insecurity in parts of the country, the minister claimed that Nigeria was “safer today than at any time in recent times” due to the sacrifices of operatives of various security agencies in Nigeria.
Seeking the people’s opinion on the issue, a source told Ireport247 that the two countries sent out the same information a while back when there was supposed to be an international summit on Cryptocurrecy and Forex; leaving the summit unattended by their citizens, among whom some ought to be part of the speakers at the event.
This time again, there is another of such summit that ought to kick off shortly in the Capital City and the same countries sent out the same message again. This, according to our source, seem to be an intentional act by these high commissions to scare of their citizens from attending the programmes.
