Police reject claims of kidnap of bus passengers in Ekiti

The Ekiti State Police Command in Ekiti has rejected claims of kidnapping of bus passengers in the state.

Reports emerged earlier on Monday that gunmen suspected to be kidnappers abducted passengers traveling from Ado-Ekiti to Ibadan in Aramoko-Ekiti on Sunday.

Spokesman of the command, Sunday Abutu, in a statement issued on Monday in Ado-Ekiti, dismissed the claims circulating on social media as false and mischievous.

He said: “Upon receiving the report, the command quickly deployed intelligence and tactical operations to the area.

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“Investigations revealed that the report was completely false and deliberately fabricated by individuals seeking to create panic among citizens and undermine the efforts of security agencies and the state government.

“The command has observed a pattern of coordinated efforts by several individuals to spread false information pertaining to bandit attacks, kidnappings and other security incidents in the state.

“The country has recorded several cases of fake news and false security alarms in recent weeks. This trend is unacceptable and may create unnecessary fear among the public.”

Abutu urged citizens who have useful information about individuals involved in the creation and spread of fake news to report such individuals to the police via the command hotline or official social media platforms.