Anambra Police Command Warns Against Misinformation

Anambra State police command has warned that misinformation is dangerous to public safety.

Its public relations officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, in a statement yesterday, warned against spreading of unverified information on social media stating that the practice could endanger public peace and safety.

He particularly warned that concoting and spreading falsehood against the operations of the men of the police command, and, indeed, any security agency to inciting the public would attract legal action.

He, rather, urged members of the public to verify any rumour or allegation against the activities of the men of the command through the appropriate command’s authorities including the PPRO, Divisional heads like Area Commanders, DPOs, and, even the Commission of Police (CP).

Ikenga stated that the state Police Command has observed with concern an emerging pattern where some social media handlers record and circulate videos of individuals alleging police unprofessional conduct without recourse to the Command or verification of the facts, with the intent to incite members of the public against the Police and other security agencies in the State.

He argued that while every citizen has the constitutional right to express grievances and seek justice, the deliberate dissemination of unverified, misleading, or one-sided accounts that can cause public tension, undermine security operations, and erode confidence in security institutions is condemnable.

He advised any citizen who is aggrieved with the operation of any personnel of the state command to channel petition to the Complaint Response Unit (CRU) of the police force assuring that justice would be done to such issues.

He assured that the command would continue to collaborate with other security agencies and community stakeholders to improve public safety, maintain law and order, and strengthen trust through transparent and community- oriented policing in the state.