Buhari: Fake News and Misinformation Are Worsening National Security

Ibekimi Oriamaja Reports

Yesterday, President Muhammadu Buhari claimed that the proliferation of false information and fake news was contributing to the country’s current state of insecurity. Buhari made this statement at the “Summit for National Integration, Peace and Security” event, which was held in Abuja and was organized by the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR).

The president praised the nation’s military personnel for their valor in the war on terrorism. In order for peace to reign, he pleaded with all of his countrymen to continue aiding the security forces in their effort to keep the nation safe.

Relatedly, the president decried “the unjustified and cold-blooded murder” of Sheikh Goni Aisami, an Islamic cleric who lived in Yobe State, by a soldier whom he had granted a ride to, as confirmed by the police.

At the event, Buhari stressed that fake news and misinformation endanger the peace, security, and development of any country. He was represented at the event by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed. He could think of other occasions when the threat had upset the political order.

In light of the recent rampage by terrorists, bandits, and kidnappers, the president stated that “in recent times, in especially, the concerns of peace and security have been on the lips of many Nigerians. Sadly, the twin evils of fake news and misinformation have compounded this security crisis.

I want to take advantage of this significant opportunity to thank our brave service members and to urge all Americans to support them in their difficult work of ensuring the safety of our nation.

The slogan “if you see something, say something” was created by the president to remind Nigerians that everyone has a stake in maintaining security.

He claimed that criminals and terrorists were not spirits. They live in our neighborhoods and are people, he declared. For there to be peace, “they must all be revealed and destroyed.”

Buhari praised the NIPR for organizing the event, stating that the organization’s participation to the discussion on national unity was a useful and constructive response to the urgent problems with peace and security in the nation.

The president cited a number of suspected instances of fake news in the past and urged Nigerians to confirm every information before spreading it.

He said, “Let me provide some recent examples of false information and fake news in this regard. On August 10, the Kaduna State government was forced to refute an online allegation alleging that the Kaduna-Zaria road was under siege by hundreds of bandits.

Due to the presence of bandits at Dumbi and Jaji along the Zaria route, the widely disseminated message even warned travelers not to enter or depart Zaria.

“Consider the uncertainty and disruption this phony news may have brought about. Imagine the effect it would have on the security services, which go to great lengths, even paying the ultimate price, to protect us.

“Also, in April 2022, a drone footage of a group of five men cooking in an unidentified woodland while wearing red clothing went viral. The people who were spreading the video claimed that it was in Nigeria.

“However, BBC found that it was not in Nigeria when it fact-checked the drone video. The sole purpose of spreading the video was to frighten the populace and unbalance the social order.

“In four localities in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna, there were reports of bandits using a helicopter to assault villagers in June 2022. By stating that the helicopter was an Air Force chopper sent to the area to repel an attack, the Kaduna State government was able to disprove the rumor. Imagine once more the fear that would have resulted from this false report.

Speaking on his own experiences, the minister said that the amount of false reports that had been made about him was too numerous to count. The “favorite whipping boy of the tireless creators of fake news and misinformation,” as he put it,

According to Mallam Mukhtar Sirajo, president of NIPR, Nigerians must put the country’s peace and unity before their own interests.

According to Sirajo, the nation has to ingrain a culture of social justice, honesty, reciprocal justice, national mediation, reconciliation, and youth inclusion.

Dr. Dere Awosika, the event’s host and chairman of Access Bank, advised Nigerians to view their nation’s diversity as a strength rather than a problem.

We must utilize every resource and industry to promote national cohesion, according to Awosika. One essential aspect of promoting national integration that has been severely damaged is the economy.

“There is a lack of regulations and regulatory organizations in a country where the economic resources are dispersed among the many regions, which will help the flow of products and services.”

“This barbaric murder of a compassionate man by a soldier he had assisted has no place in our training as soldiers,” said President Buhari in response to the killing of Sheikh Aisami. “It negates the entire ethos of military life, which is anchored on discipline and respect for the sanctity of innocent lives,” added Buhari.

“As Commander-in-Chief, I am personally appalled by this heinous and terrible act by a law enforcement personnel trained to preserve life,” the president continued.

“By virtue of our training, we are bound by a code of conduct that disapproves of this kind of unlawful and careless behavior. We do not have the morality or training to endanger innocent people. Of course, this soldier’s behavior was a singular instance involving a single person, but it has the potential to damage our military’s reputation as a whole.

“This incident has the potential to undermine trust between our military and people by instilling dread among our fellow residents toward aiding soldiers.”

“I call on the military authorities to punish the perpetrators of this horrific murder without delay, and flush out such individuals with such criminal tendencies,” Buhari stated while expressing sympathy to the Yobe State Government, the people of the state, and the family of the victim.