A video has been trending on Saturday which showed trucks conveying foodstuffs and animals being blocked from moving to the South part of Nigeria.
In the the video seen by CrimeFacts, the trucks are said to have been blocked at Kara-Jebba, Mokwa area of Niger State.
An online news medium, Intel Nigeria posted on its official X platform “VIDEO: Security Agencies In Niger State Have Begun To Turn Back Trucks Loaded With Food Items Heading To Other Parts Of The Country, On The Directive Of The State’s Governor”
https://twitter.com/IntelRegion/status/1758810032865464724?t=SmCOt9R_dUz8TWypMuIsJA&s=19
The post as at 9 hours ago, generated over 1k views and many reposts on Intel Nigeria X platform.
But reacting, the police has debunked the claims, saying it is not true.
In a reaction by the spokesman of the police, Deputy Superintendent Wasiu Abiodun, “The video was an old video of about five years ago, and there was no stoppage or blockage of trucks conveying goods or animals from Minna to Kwara State and vice-versa”.
He also added that it is very important to state that on Friday, February 16 at about 9 pm a mini truck conveying cattle to Kwara State had a minor accident at the Quarantine checkpoint, Jebba North, and it resulted in evacuating the animal to another vehicle, which caused a little gridlock for a while, and after the evacuation, there was free flow of traffic.
However, Abiodun said the Command is emphasising that there was no attempt or outright blockage by any individual or group of persons or agencies at the Kara-Jebba area of Mokwa as insinuated in the video.
The police is therefore urging Nigerians to disregard the video as it’s an old video, circulated by mischief makers to cause chaos in the State or the Nation.
Also the State Government in a statement on Saturday dismissed the claims.
The statement reads “The attention of the Niger State Government has been drawn to a video making rounds on social media where a number of heavy vehicles are parked, believed to be their usual resting place after a long journey. This has been the practice of all heavy vehicle drivers for over 50 years; there’s always a spot where they all converge to rest, pass the night, wash their vehicles, etc.
“The story that the vehicles carrying food items have been asked not to take food items to the southern or eastern part of the country but to return to the northern part is untrue. The liars who did the video should’ve known that an operation of this magnitude would require a task force, indeed, along with security men. Their attempt to incite crisis has failed. Governor Umaru Bago of Niger State did not give such an order.
“As the entire country passes through a challenging period, these unscrupulous characters have decided to chance upon the situation as an opportunity for mischief and political profit.
“To the characters responsible, know that, firstly, God is in the know of your machinations and will judge you accordingly. Secondly, the Government will trace the perpetrators like before and will be hard on both the authors and those responsible for amplifying the lies.
“We cannot permit mischievous individuals to deepen the anxiety of our people and exacerbate an already difficult situation. The government will come down hard upon these criminals and see they are made to face the full wrath of the law.
