The Presidency has dismissed viral images circulating on social media and allegedly linked to the recent abduction of pupils in Oyo State, insisting that the photographs were taken in Mali and have no connection to the incident in Nigeria.
Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, made the clarification in a post on X, citing findings by Africa54Research.
According to Onanuga, investigations revealed that the images being shared online were originally taken in Mali in June 2020 and depicted schoolchildren who had reportedly been flogged by a teacher, rather than victims of the Oyo school abduction.
“Some of the images being shared as those of the kidnapped schoolkids of Oyo State were of maltreated kids in Mali,” Onanuga stated.
He further explained that the photographs were extracted from an old social media post published in June 2020, adding that they were deliberately recirculated to create the impression that they showed the abducted pupils in Oyo State.
“Pictures taken in Mali in June 2020, when a teacher flogged his young students, have been shared on social media to make people believe they are the pictures of the abducted Oyo students, an analysis by Africa54Research has revealed,” he said.
The presidential spokesman alleged that those spreading the images were attempting to fuel panic and undermine public confidence in ongoing efforts by security agencies to rescue the abducted pupils and their teachers.
He described the distributors of the photographs as possible sympathisers of criminal elements seeking to spread fear and tarnish the image of the government and security forces.
“The distributors of the images are most probably terrorists’ sympathisers, out to sow fears in our society and paint the government and the security forces black, as the government is making efforts to get the kids and their teachers released,” Onanuga added.
The clarification comes amid continued efforts by authorities and security agencies to secure the safe release of the abducted pupils and school personnel in Oyo State.