By Damilare Adeleye
The Ogun State Police Command has dismissed as false and misleading a viral video claiming to show bandits in a forest within the state.
A statement issued on Sunday by the state police public relations officer, Oluseyi Babaseyi, clarified that the video does not originate from Ogun or any part of Nigeria.
“The video is false, misleading, and does not originate from Ogun State or any part of Nigeria,” the police spokesperson stated.
He said preliminary findings revealed that the footage was recorded in Kenya during an operation involving cattle rustlers and was captured by a General Service Unit drone.
“Further verification indicates that the video was first uploaded online in 2022 and has since been deliberately recirculated with a false narrative to create panic and misinform the public,” the statement added.
On his part, the state Commissioner of Police, Bode Ojajuni, condemned the circulation of the video, warning that such content could undermine public confidence in security agencies.
Ojajuni also dismissed claims of criminal activity in the state’s forests, stating that “there is no intelligence or operational report to support the claim of any such criminal presence within forests or any part of Ogun State.”
He reassured residents of the command’s commitment to security, noting that it remains proactive through intelligence-led policing, strategic deployments, and sustained operational vigilance across the state.
The police commissioner urged members of the public to disregard the video and avoid sharing unverified information.