Gombe Police debunk viral video claiming youths mobilising against insurgents

The Gombe State Police Command has dismissed a viral social media claim that youths in the state were mobilising to confront insurgents, stating that the video circulating online actually depicted a traditional celebration.

The footage, widely shared on Facebook, showed gunshots in the background and was captioned with calls for self-defence against insurgents, including remarks about Nigerians being ready to “face the monster” and the need for state police.

However, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Buhari, told journalists on Saturday that the video was recorded during a cultural event organised by local hunters to honour the Emir of Gombe as part of the Sallah festivities.

“That was a video done by hunters in celebration of the Islamic celebration. It’s usually done to celebrate either Eid-el-Kabir or Eid-el-Fitr in the state. They did that to usher in the Emir of Gombe,” Buhari explained.

He warned the public to verify information before sharing, noting that the description attached to the video was completely different from what was actually happening. He accused the originator of intentionally writing a misleading caption to generate online traffic and cause confusion.

Buhari reaffirmed the command’s commitment to maintaining peace and cautioned social media users against spreading unverified content.