The Sokoto State Government has dismissed as false a media report claiming that 18 students of Gamji College of Health Technology, Sokoto, were abducted by suspected terrorists while travelling to Oyo State.
The report, published by Sahara Reporters, alleged that the students, who attend the private health institution, were travelling in a chartered bus from Sokoto to Oyo State when they were seized.
In a statement issued by Abubakar Bawa, Director General, Media and Publicity, Government House, Sokoto, the state government said categorically that no student of the college was abducted by suspected terrorists. It urged the public to disregard the report, describing it as false and without basis.
To set the record straight, the government said the person reportedly abducted was Halima Sokeni, a former student of Gamji College of Nursing Sciences, More Area, Sokoto, who graduated as a midwife in September this year.
According to the statement, Sokeni was travelling home on Thursday, October 1, when she and other passengers were abducted in Niger State.
The government appealed to journalists and media organisations to uphold the ethics and professional standards of journalism by verifying information before publication, to avoid spreading false, misleading and potentially alarming reports.
