The Oyo State Police Command has dismissed as false a report claiming that one of the schoolchildren abducted in a recent attack at Ahoro-Esiele, Oriire Local Government Area, has died in captivity.
In a statement issued Thursday, the Command described the report as “malicious,” “misleading,” and “without any factual basis whatsoever,” stressing that neither the police nor any other security agency involved in the rescue operation had confirmed any such development.
“The publication is a fabrication carefully crafted by individuals whose objective is to arouse unnecessary public sentiment, create panic, spread fear, and undermine ongoing security operations,” the statement read.
Police Public Relations Officer DSP Ayanlade Olayinka said the report was particularly troubling because its authors deliberately used emotional narratives and unverified accounts to manipulate public opinion — conduct he said served the interests of “criminal elements and terror merchants.”
The Command assured the public that the rescue operation remains active and is being handled with “utmost professionalism, diligence, and confidentiality.” Officials warned that circulating false information at such a critical stage risks jeopardising the operation and causing unnecessary trauma to the families of those abducted.
The police issued a stiff caution to bloggers, social media influencers, and online platforms against publishing or amplifying unverified security-related information, calling such conduct “irresponsible and unacceptable.”
The public was urged to rely only on information from official Nigeria Police Force channels and authorised government agencies. #Securitynewsalert.com
