Enforce existing social media law to save Nigeria, Umahi tells police

Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi has called on security agencies to enforce existing social media laws to save Nigeria from imminent collapse as a result of fake news.

The governor stated this when he received the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of the South East Zone, DIG Joseph Egbunike, at the Executive Council Chambers of the old Government House, Abakaliki on Friday.

According to Umahi, Ebonyi State Government would soon come up with a law to tackle the menace of fake news which he noted breeds social unrest in the society even as he pledged to support the ongoing Operation Restore peace in Nigeria Police Force in the South East Zone.

“The most dangerous attack on the Nigerian nation is fake news. We have sufficient laws to checkmate this fake news. I can assure you that we are doing everything we can to reorientate these boys: we have offered amnesty. My position is that this agitation should be aggregated to enable leaders to engage the centre. We are not the only ones that are marginalised and no one is burning down police stations and killing policemen except the South East.”

Governor Umahi also lauded the Acting Inspector General of Police, Baba Usman for his efficient leadership of the Police Force and urged him to sustain the effort.

Earlier, the newly appointed Co-ordinator, South East Zone of the Operation Restore Peace, Deputy Inspector General of Police, DIG Egbunike while disclosing his mission statement said he was in the state to seek support for the new police security effort code-named, Operation Restore Peace in the South East. 

“I have come here on a simple mission, a simple mission called Operation Restore Peace. Operation Restore Peace is an operation that was well-articulated, well-informed and well-collated before the arrival of that name Operation Restore Peace.

“Operation Restore Peace took cognizance of the culture of the Igbo man; it took cognizance of the Igbo man’s spartan nature; it took cognizance that an Igbo man is a peaceful person. It also took cognisance that the government cannot sit down and watch a group or certain group making the majority suffer without taking appropriate action to bring them before the law and to ensure that we, the majority get the benefits of the society.

“I have analyzed the people who are victims of the burning of police stations, burning of INEC offices. The statistics of police stations and policemen killed has shown that 5/6 of the people killed are the Igbo people. So why are you killing your brother because you are agitating for a cause?”

He further reminded the people that most of the police stations were built by host communities and wondered how the people would raise money to build new ones after these spates of destructions.

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