The Oyo State Police Command has said the viral report of one of the schoolchildren abducted during the recent incident at Ahoro-Esiele, Oriire Local Government Area of the State, had died while in captivity was false.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Ayanlade Olayinka, said in a statement on Friday evening that the report was false, misleading, mischievous, and without any factual basis whatsoever.
According to him, at no time has the Oyo State Police Command or any other recognised security agency involved in the ongoing rescue efforts, confirmed such a development.
“The publication is a fabrication carefully crafted by individuals whose objective is to arouse unnecessary public sentiment, create panic, spread fear, and undermine ongoing security operations.
“It is particularly disturbing that the authors of the report deliberately employed emotional narratives, speculative claims, and unverified accounts in a calculated attempt to manipulate public opinion and generate anxiety among residents.
“Such conduct not only constitutes a disservice to responsible journalism but also advances the very objectives of criminal elements and terror merchants who thrive on fear, uncertainty, and public distress,” he said.
