The Tinubu Media Support Group (TMSG) has called on the Police and other security agencies to invite Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan over recent pictures of tortured children she shared online which she claimed were pupils abducted by terrorists in Oyo State.
Although she has since deleted the visuals, the group argued that security operatives needed to discuss the implications of sharing false and misleading information capable of triggering unrest in an already tense polity.
In a statement signed by its Chairman, Emeka Nwankpa and Secretary, Dapo Okubanjo, TMSG pointed out that the visuals were still circulating because there have been no consequences for broadcasting incendiary materials in recent years.
“Our attention has been drawn to a viral picture of badly beaten young children with bruises on their bodies currently circulating online which we later realised was shared by someone as influential in the social media space as the senator representing Kogi Central, Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan.
“We know for a fact that the pictures were from the Niger Republic and had been online for some time which is why we were shocked that a member of the federal legislature could share them so brazenly to mislead Nigerians.
“Within a few days, the pictures had been reposted more than twenty-two thousand times and also generated fourteen thousand likes, and we dare say that several people who ended up sharing the fake and misleading visuals may have seen it on Senator Akpoti Uduaghan’s social media pages.
“We acknowledge that she later retracted her post and admitted that the pictures were 2020 materials from the Niger Republic but it was shocking that she added that the fate of the abducted children could be worse than the horrific pictures she shared.
“This is not something a federal lawmaker should be seen doing online and we believe that either the Department of State Services (DSS) or the Police should invite her for a chat on the implications of broadcasting or rebroadcasting misleading information on the Oyo abduction saga,” the statement read.
The group added that it was elated that security agencies had already been taking steps to counter the trend of disinformation on the security situation.
“We are indeed aware that the Police recently arrested two individuals in Ogun state for broadcasting false and misleading information on a fake bandit attack.
“We are also mindful that the Police in Lagos have arrested several persons who capitalised on false claims to lynch a young man to death. It won’t be out of place to invite the Senator for distributing false and misleading information that could complicate an already tense situation.
“It is also puzzling that the Senator has not even bothered to delete the misleading post more than one week after.”
The group believes that an invitation to the Senator by the security agencies would send a clear message of zero tolerance for misleading information to ordinary Nigerians who may be tempted to toe a similar path of ignominy.
