Ebonyi State Police Command has said that Fulani Herdsmen are not under attack or being chased out of Ebonyi State, dismissing viral videos making rounds on social media as distorted and misleading. In a communique on Monday, the spokesperson for the Ebonyi State Command, DSP Odah Loveth Obianuju, warned the public to beware of fake content circulating online.
DSP Odah explained that prior to the fake videos making the rounds, there was no record of a threat to the life of the peace-loving herders or their cows, neither to those residing in the said camp or in the entire State. “There is no invasion of bandits, Fulani herdsmen in Ebonyi,” he stated, urging Nigerians to regard the videos as fake, baseless and mischievous.
The police communique further revealed that the Fulani community on Saturday paid Christmas and New Year’s visit to Governor David Umahi, adding that the herders never raised any claim about being attacked. The command image-maker said the herders had cohabited peacefully with their host communities without any fear, molestation, threat or intimidation from any quarter.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police Ebonyi State, CP Philip Sule Maku has ordered a full-scale investigation into the matter with a view to arresting those behind the fake video for possible prosecution. The CP also reassured the general public, particularly the Fulani Herdsmen and their host communities in Ebonyi State, of the command’s continued commitment to ensuring the safety and security of their lives and properties.
The situation in Ebonyi state has been described as being marked by insecurity, with conflicts between farmers and herders leading to fatalities and property destruction. Civil society organisations have cited ‘escalating attacks’ by suspected armed bandits and herdsmen on local communities in the region.
In Ebonyi, suspected Fulani herders reportedly killed residents in Amegu village, Nkalaha community of Ishielu LGA, prompting coalition of civil society organizations from Nigeria’s Southeast to raise alarm over what they describe as a surge in violent attacks. However, the police have consistently dismissed such claims, stating that the herding community has sworn they will not on any account perpetrate an attack on any party in Ebonyi State.
Over the years, fact-checkers have debunked dozens of similar claims, many of them “poorly written, almost never attributed to sources, and often contained mislabelled or manipulated photos and videos,” with no evidence that any group forced communities out of Ebonyi state. There are no signs of violence, distress or forced expulsion in the video itself, with people working unhurriedly and playful voices of children audible.
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