The Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) Lagos State Wing has dismissed as false a story circulating on social media claiming that a school principal and her husband were found dead in a hotel room in Badagry following a Sallah holiday trip.
In a statement issued by the union, State Publicity Secretary Comrade Fakolade Oluwafemi Oluwaseun JP said the leadership moved swiftly to investigate the claims after they began spreading online.
“The leadership of NUT Lagos State Wing is aware of the story making rounds on social media of a school principal from Ojo branch reported dead alongside her husband while on Sallah holiday in Badagry,” he said. “We made a series of contacts this morning to verify the story and contacted relevant stakeholders from Ojo and Badagry.”
“We can confidently confirm that the story is FAKE,” Comrade Fakolade stated.
The union noted several inconsistencies that exposed the story as fabricated. According to Fakolade, there is no public secondary school bearing the name Salvation Army Memorial High School in the Ojo Education District V. Further checks with the All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS) in the Ojo Zone also turned up no principal by the name mentioned in the viral post, and the school itself does not appear in the official directory of schools within the zone.
The publicity secretary used the statement to caution members against spreading unverified information, warning of the broader consequences of fake news in the education sector.
“The education sector is in a critical period when fake news could lead to unrest,” he said. “We condemn in totality the purveyors of fake news and hope that they stop such a dastardly act without further delay or face the wrath of the law.”
He also appealed directly to teachers, sharing the story online to stop immediately.
“Sharing such content helps the purveyors achieve their aims,” Fakolade warned, urging members to always verify information through the union’s leadership and relevant stakeholders before circulating it.
The union’s formal verdict was unequivocal: “After thorough investigation, NUT Lagos State Wing can confidently and repeatedly say that the story is fake.” #Securitynewsalert.com
