Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu has urged residents to disregard the videos trending on social media which he said “are the tools of anarchists,” whose plan is to create hatred and divisiveness for which Lagos is not known.
The state government, while assuring that the state government would continue to protect lives and property, warned purveyors of fake news and inciting message to stop their evil enterprise or face the legal consequences of their destructive actions.
Sanwo-Olu who made the appeal in a statement on Saturday, through, the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, said, “Our dear State will go through this with the resilience for which we are known and come out stronger.”
The statement read in part: “The attention of the Lagos State government has been drawn to videos in social media and the online space, creating tension and encouraging ethnic conflicts.
“Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has urged Lagosians to disregard the videos, which are the tools of anarchists, whose plan is to create hatred and divisiveness for which Lagos is not known.
“Inciting videos of this nature are not what our land needs now, following the loss of lives and destruction that fake news, misinformation and unfounded rumours have triggered in our dear state in the last couple of days.”
Sanwo-Olu, while further urging residents to disregard the calls of ethnic and religious jingoists, “as agents of destruction are on a mission to destroy the state by pitching us against one another for yet to be ascertained reasons.
“This is a very critical moment for us as a people to stand together and remain circumspect as the brewery of falsehood is unrelenting in its mission.”
According to him, Lagos State is the melting point of various cultures, tribes and religions across Nigeria, saying the indigenes had co-existed harmoniously for ages and would continue to live together peacefully.
