Ekiti State Police Command has dismissed as false a social media report alleging that a full bus of passengers was kidnapped along the Aramoko-Ekiti road yesterday.
The State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Sunday Abutu said in a statement that the Command deployed intelligence and tactical operatives to the area immediately after the report surfaced.
According to the Command, the alarm was fabricated by criminally minded individuals to spread panic and undermine ongoing security efforts by the police and state government.
Mr Abutu added that the Command had observed a pattern of coordinated false alarms about bandit attacks and kidnappings in Ekiti in recent weeks.
He described the trend as unacceptable and warned that spreading fake information is a criminal offence punishable under the law.
Mr Abutu urged residents to verify information before sharing it and to remain vigilant.
