Nigeria Police Force has addressed a viral video that has been circulating on WhatsApp and various social media platforms, which shows a school-aged girl appearing to smoke what seems to be cannabis, with her peers encouraging her.
Gatekeepers News reports that the police clarified that, contrary to popular belief, the footage did not originate in Nigeria.
In a statement released on Thursday, Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, mentioned that preliminary investigations indicate that the video likely originates from Zimbabwe.
The statement read, “The attention of the Nigeria Police Force has been drawn to a deeply concerning video currently circulating on WhatsApp and other social media platforms, depicting a school-aged girl smoking what appears to be cannabis, surrounded and cheered on by her classmates.
“The video, which has sparked outrage among Nigerian parents and educators, was initially believed to depict students in a Nigerian school, raising fears about rising indiscipline and drug abuse among youths.”
However, the police say linguistic evidence proves otherwise.
“Individuals featured are heard speaking in both English and Shona, the latter being a language predominantly spoken in Zimbabwe and parts of southern Africa.
“Critically, no Nigerian languages or discernable Nigerian accents are present in the audio,” the statement said.
The original upload, according to the police, “was accompanied by a caption written in Shona, with its initial posting on the Instagram channel @rusape_celebs_tv, a channel which is demonstrably based in the town of Rusape, Zimbabwe.”
The Police further urged the public to avoid sharing unverified content.
The statement warned that doing so “carries the potential to negatively impact individuals, organisations, and entire communities.”
“We urge the public to exercise caution when sharing unverified information, particularly when it involves sensitive content,” Adejobi said.
