The Presidency has said images circulating online and linked to the abduction of pupils in Oyo State are not from Nigeria but from Mali.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga made the claim in a post on X. He said checks carried out by Africa54Research found that the images were taken in Mali and had no connection to the Oyo school abduction case.
Onanuga said some social media users shared the photographs to make people believe they showed the abducted pupils.
“Some of the Images being shared as those of the kidnapped schoolkids of Oyo state were of maltreated kids in Mali,” he wrote.
He added: “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.”
The images include screenshots of an old social media post showing children with injuries. A date visible on the post indicates it was published in June 2020.
Onanuga also alleged that those sharing the images were trying to create fear and undermine public confidence in efforts to secure the release of the pupils and their teachers.
“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,” he said.
The claim comes as authorities continue efforts to secure the release of the abducted pupils and school staff in Oyo State.
Ademide Adebayo
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