Niger State government has cautioned people spreading ‘false news videos of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) fleeing a camp in the state to desist from such or face the wrath of the government.
Niger State Commissioner of Information, Sani Idris stated this in a statement on Thursday.
He said: “Our attention has been drawn to a video of a number of fleeing people believed to be refugees purported to be fleeing from Rijau.
“The story is untrue. We investigated the origin of the video and discovered that it is not from Nigeria.
“As Niger state, and the entire country is experiencing a security challenge, some unscrupulous characters have decided to chance upon the situation as an opportunity for mischief and political profit.” He said.
“To the characters responsible, know that, firstly, God is in the know of your machinations and would judge you accordingly. Secondly, the Government will trace the story to its origin like it has done before and will be hard on both the authors and those responsible for spreading the falsehood.
“We cannot permit mischievous individuals to deepen the anxiety of our people and exacerbate an already difficult situation. The government will come down hard upon these criminals and will see to it that they are made to face the full wrath of the law.”