Femi Adesina and Buhari
The Presidency has again expressed concern over the circulation of fake news and misleading information occasioned by the EndSARS protests aimed at causing social discontent and disunity in the country.
Mr Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, stated this at a Media Parley with international journalists organized by Presidential Media Team at the old Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja, on Monday.
Adesina condemned what he described as deliberate misinformation and incorrect reports by some international media outfits who reported the protests in some part of the country.
He explained that the meeting was part of the ongoing critical engagements with both local and international media aimed at ensuring better understanding of events in the country.
Speaking at the forum, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, saluted the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) for the mature way it handled the EndSARS protests despite the killing of its personnel in some parts of the country.
Malami assured that the Federal Government would continue to ensure institutional provisions to the NPF to enhance the quality of policing in the country.
Newsmen report that the media engagement also featured questions and answers session where Malami and the Minister of Defence, retired Maj.-Gen. Bashir Magashi, debunked the allegation that soldiers were ordered to shoot EndSARS protesters at Lekki Toll Gate in October.
Malami disclosed that the federal government had directed that all cases of police brutality and maltreatments of innocent citizens by security personnel should be investigated and culprits should be brought to book.
On his part, Magashi revealed that the Lekki EndSARS incident was being investigated by both the federal and Lagos State governments.
He, therefore, appealed to the media to always avoid speculative reports on the incident as the government was doing all it could to identify and prosecute all those behind the crisis.