Fake news from Ughelli in Delta state inflamed national passion for #EndSARS protest – IGP Adamu Mohammed

The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu has narrated how a “fake news” emanating from Ughelli community of Delta state, ignited the two-weeks #Endsars protests in many states across the country.

Adamu disclosed this in an emergency security meeting with Governors of the 19 Northern states and some first-class Emirs in the region on Monday November 2.

According to Adamu, the Ughelli incident occurred after operatives of Operation Delta Safe; a state government sponsored joint security outfit comprising of the military, police and other security agencies, while on routine patrol around Ughelli Township accosted a Lexus SUV.

He said the occupants of the SUV dangerously engaged the reverse gear in an attempt to escape and evade the joint security team’s scrutiny in the area which has witnessed a series of kidnapping.

Adamu said one of the suspects, Joshua Ambrose jumped out of the moving patrol vehicle and sustained bruises on his head and body.

Daily Trust reported that the IGP who said the security agents in Ughelli in the video posted online did not in any way involve SARS operatives, maintained that the injured suspect was neither shot nor dead as portrayed in the false social media news by Malcolm Nicholas. He further revealed that the suspect responsible for the video has been arrested and arraigned before a court.

He said;

“One of the suspects, Joshua Ambrose jumped out of the moving patrol vehicle and sustained bruises on his head and body.

“The patrol team coming behind subsequently intercepted the escaping vehicle and arrested the two male occupants.

“The patrol team stopped to attend to the situation and they were mobbed and had to tactically retreat to prevent possible violence.

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“While this was going on, one Malcolm Nicholas who was at the scene recorded the incident and uploaded it on social media with a false tag that SARS operatives had just shot someone dead at Ughelli, Delta state.

“The false news soon went viral and inflamed national passion, which eventually formed the rallying point for the protest. The said Nicholas has been arrested charged to court under the law.”