The Ogun State Police Command has dismissed as false a viral video circulating on social media claiming to show armed bandits operating in a forest in the state.
Gatekeepers News reports that the command said the footage is misleading and did not originate from Ogun State or any part of Nigeria.
Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abeokuta, saying preliminary investigations traced the footage to Kenya.
According to him, the video, which shows some people cooking in a bush, was recorded during an operation involving cattle rustlers and captured by a General Service Unit (GSU) drone.
“Further verification indicates that the video was first uploaded online in 2022 and has since been deliberately recirculated with a false narrative to create panic and misinform the public about the security situation in Ogun State,” he said.
The Commissioner of Police, Bode Ojajuni, condemned the circulation of what he described as “unverified and deceptive content,” warning that such materials are capable of causing unnecessary fear and eroding public confidence in security agencies.
Ojajuni stressed that there is no intelligence or operational report indicating the presence of armed criminal groups in forests or any part of Ogun State.
He reassured residents that the command remains proactive in safeguarding lives and property through intelligence-led policing, strategic deployments and sustained security operations across the state.
The police commissioner urged residents to disregard the video and avoid sharing unverified information capable of inciting panic or disturbing public peace.
He also advised the public to rely only on official communication channels for credible security updates.
Ojajuni called on residents to remain law-abiding and continue supporting the police with timely and credible information, warning that the spread of false and inciting content would not be tolerated.
