The Presidency has condemned as false and dangerous a viral report claiming that President Bola Tinubu has sacked the Ministers of Defence and Power, calling for immediate action against the spreaders of such misinformation.
The story, first published by Phoenix Browser with the headline ‘BREAKING: Tinubu Sacks Ministers of Defence and Power’, was swiftly debunked by official sources as completely fabricated and misleading.
Reacting to the report, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, took to his X (formerly Twitter) handle late Tuesday night to decry the rise of fake news and urged security agencies to take decisive steps against those behind such falsehoods.
“Security agencies must urgently take action against fake news websites and platforms and the purveyors who fail to check the authenticity of the stories and make them go viral,” Onanuga said.
He warned that unrestrained fabrication of stories under the guise of press freedom poses a serious threat to democracy and social cohesion.
“Press freedom and freedom of speech will not exist when some people can wake up and concoct their news and narratives without regard for truth. Fake news is simply licentiousness and must be criminalised,” Onanuga added.
