By Dada Ahmed in Lokoja
The Police Command in kogi state has described as fake news, some media publications indicating that 18 traders of Kano state origin were kidnapped in the state.
In a statement released by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for the command, DSP William Aya on Friday in Lokoja with a copy made available to The Reporters, the Commissioner in charge of the command, Ede Ayuba Ekpeji said:
“The Command wishes to state categorically clear that no such incident occurred nor reported any where in Kogi State. The news of the purported kidnapped of the 18 Kano traders in Kogi State is fake and capable of misleading the public on the Security situation in the State.
“It is pertinent to let the public be aware that the Kogi State Police Command, in collaboration with other Security agencies,is determined to guarantee the protection of lives and property in the State.”
Ekpeji,therefore, urged journalists, as well as social media handlers, to always find out the true nature of incident and its location before publishing the story.
Such action, he noted, became necessary in order for those referred to not to misinform the general public and create mistrust among the good people of the State and Nigeria in general.