No bomb explosion at South African High Commission – FG

Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja

The Federal Government has debunked reports that there was a bomb explosion at the South African High Commission in Abuja.

This is even as the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, warned those behind the orchestrated fake news and disinformation campaign to stop forthwith or be made to face the music.

In a statement by his Special Assistant, Segun Adeyemi, Mohammed said such reports were the handiwork of the desperate opposition to destabilize the Government.

“The Federal Government has debunked the report being circulated on the social media of a bomb explosion at the South African High Commission in Abuja on Saturday, calling the report fake news orchestrated by the desperate opposition to cause panic and chaos among the populace,” Adeyemi wrote.

The Government further said the video of the alleged bomb explosion, which is being circulated on the social media, was that of the bomb explosion at Emab Plaza, near Banex, Wuse 2, Abuja on June 25, 2014.

The Minister said it is now apparent that the desperate opposition has decided to use fake news and disinformation as handy tools in their avowed determination to make Nigeria ungovernable, having lost woefully at the polls.

‘’A pattern is emerging of the antics of the desperate opposition to latch on to the use of fake news and disinformation as a strategy to trigger chaos in the country. On Friday (6 Sept 2019), they doctored and circulated the video of my appearance on Channels Television on January 2015 (when I was the spokesman of the APC) to make it look like I was begging Nigerians to forgive President Buhari for not having a school certificate. Worse still, they posted the video afresh, giving the impression it happened last Thursday and that I acted in my capacity as Minister of Information and Culture.

‘’Unfortunately for them, this doctored video came out on the same day a report emerged that the PDP had sent lawyers and party agents to the University of Cambridge to confirm the authenticity of the President’s West African school certificate.