Police in Rivers State have denied rumoured killings in Eneka community in Obio/Akpor local government area of Rivers State.
The report, which went viral on social media at the weekend had claimed that no fewer than 10 persons have been killed, scores injured and several others missing in attacks carried out by unknown gunmen in the area.
But, the police public relations officer (PPRO) in the state, Grace Iringe-Koko, in a statement made available to newsmen in Port Harcourt yesterday, described the report as “false, baseless and not verifiable.”
The statement reads in part: “The attention of the Rivers Police Command has been drawn to phantom online news on: ‘BULWARK INTEL: Warning/Insecurity, 1524 hrs., Nigeria (Rivers State), 17 June 2023.’
“The command wishes to state that the purported threats of recurrent attacks by an Unidentified Armed Group (UAG) within the Eneka axis in Port Harcourt resulting in an unascertained number of casualties including 10 fatalities is false, baseless and not verifiable, as it only exists in the imagination of mischief-makers.”
The police said preliminary investigation carried out, including interfaces and interviews with the Eneka axis in Port Harcourt revealed that no such thing happened, adding that it is also important to note that no individual or businesses reported a case of attacks by an unidentified armed group to them.
The command therefore urged the public to regard the report as fake news as it is only intended to overheat the security situation in Rivers State, saying the commissioner of police in Rivers, CP Nwonyi Polycarp Emeka, has ordered an investigation into the report as well as warned purveyors of fake news to desist forthwith or face prosecution.
The statement added that the CP is irrevocably committed to protecting the lives and properties of all residents and is also soliciting for the support and cooperation of all.
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