Bayelsa State Police Command has arrested a 23-year-old university student, identified as Promise Etete, for allegedly originating and circulating a false report on social media claiming that bandits had invaded parts of the state and were being held by militants demanding a ₦50 million ransom.
Gatekeepers News reports that the police said the misleading post sparked widespread panic among residents.
Speaking in Yenagoa, the Commissioner of Police, Daniel Iyamah, said the viral report surfaced on June 5 and caused fear in communities, particularly around Polaku and neighbouring areas.
According to him, parents rushed to schools to withdraw their children while commercial activities were temporarily disrupted as residents became concerned about their safety.
The police commissioner said the command immediately deployed intelligence and operational teams to verify the claims and discovered that the information was entirely false.
Through digital investigation, technical tracking and intelligence-led policing, detectives traced the source of the report to Etete, a 300-level student of the University of Uyo, who was subsequently arrested.
Iyamah said the suspect is being held at the State Criminal Investigation Department and has provided useful information to investigators. He warned against the misuse of social media and urged residents to verify security-related information before sharing it, stressing that there was no bandit invasion, attack on schools or threat to public safety as claimed in the viral post.
