The Presidency has dismissed claims circulating on social media that graphic images of scarred children are connected to the recent abduction of school pupils in Oyo State, describing the posts as false and misleading.
Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, clarified the matter in a statement shared on X, formerly Twitter.
According to Onanuga, the viral photographs showing children with severe scars did not originate from Nigeria and have no connection to the abducted Oyo schoolchildren.
He explained that the images were taken in Mali in June 2020 following an incident in which a local teacher allegedly subjected pupils to severe flogging.
The presidential aide accused those circulating the images of deliberately spreading misinformation to create fear and undermine public confidence in the government and security agencies.
According to him, the false claims are intended to inflame public emotions and distort facts surrounding the ongoing efforts to secure the release of abducted schoolchildren.
Onanuga urged members of the public to verify information before sharing it online and cautioned against the spread of unverified content, particularly on sensitive security matters.
The clarification comes amid heightened public concern over school abductions and insecurity in parts of the country, with authorities continuing efforts to secure the safe return of victims and combat the spread of misinformation.
