From Maurice Okafor, Enugu
The Enugu State Police Command has described the report of murder and mutilation of vital organs of five women, lured out from their stalls at ‘New market’ by a man on the pretext of going to sell fresh maize to them at his farm,as fake news.
The fake news has sent shivers into the marrows of Enugu residents and beyond in the past 24 hours until the state police command made clarification, this evening.
A press statement signed by the Enugu State Police Command Public Relations Officer,S P Dan.Ndukwe,made available to news men in Enugu, states that the story is false and fabricated to cause panic.
The statement reads,
“The Enugu State Police Command has intercepted a disturbing social media post alleging that five women who deal in fresh corn at New Market, Enugu, were lured by a man in a minibus under the guise of buying corn from his farm, but were later allegedly murdered and their mutilated bodies found by the roadside.
“The Command wishes to categorically state that the story is entirely false, unfounded, and fabricated to cause public panic. No such incident has been reported, nor has any investigation or credible intelligence suggested the occurrence of the alleged crime”.
The Enugu State Police Command said neither did they receive report of missing persons of such magnitude nor bodies with mutilated organs as claimed in the post
“This misinformation is clearly a deliberate attempt to incite fear, distort public perception, and undermine the relative peace and security currently being sustained in the State”.
The Commissioner of Police in Enugu, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa in the statement Command in the statement urged the residents to remain calm and maintain peace, assuring that purveyor will not go unpunished
CP Giwa reaffirmed the Command’s unwavering commitment to public safety and crime prevention in Enugu state.
” CP Giwa warns that the dissemination of fake news is a criminal offence and will henceforth be treated with the seriousness it deserves. He advises the public to always verify information before sharing, and encourages citizens to report suspicious activities or security concerns to the nearest Police Station, via the Command’s emergency numbers 08032003702 or 08086671202, or the Enugu State Command-and-Control Centre on 112″.
End.
