Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga has dismissed images being falsely linked to the abducted Oyo State schoolchildren, describing them as misleading and intended to spread fear among Nigerians
In a statement shared on social media, Onanuga said findings by Africa54Research showed that the photographs were not related to the recent abduction in Oyo State.
According to him, the images were actually taken in Mali in June 2020 and showed children who had allegedly been maltreated by a teacher.
Onanuga further alleged that those circulating the photographs were attempting to undermine ongoing efforts to secure the release of the k!dnapped pupils and their teachers.
“Some of the images being shared as those of the k!dnapped schoolkids of Oyo State were of maltreated kids in Mali,” he stated.
“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 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.
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