A certain Metro UK had reported what turned out to be a fake news report of President Buhari's death.
National President of the forum, Gambo Danbatta expressed concern over the danger of such fake news and the consequences it poses to the country's democracy.
He
said given the serious breakdown of law and order that this fake story
about President Buhari’s demise could have caused, there was need to
track down and unmask those behind the story with a view to bringing
them to book.
He described as sad and
depressing that desperate politicians have come to this sorry pass where
the issue of mortality that applies to all has now become ready tools
in the hands of those who think Nigeria must remain in their pocket.
He
pointed that there are procedures for confirming a death before going
to town with the story, such as contacting personal physician, lawyer,
next of kin or in the case of a world leader, the official
spokespersons.
"The persons behind the fake news site are fully intended to deploy it for evil,” he said.
“They
registered it from Scottsdale, Arizona, the US in October of last year
and updated the site for this evil plot sometimes in April this year.
"Thankfully,
presidential aides were quick to calm Nigerians and assure them as the
to the safety and health of Mr President, who was that time in the
company of his best friend, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby
at the Lambert Palace in London, the United Kingdom.
"This
has nothing to do with freedom of expression, which is not the same as
freedom to lie, it is about criminals plotting to use fake news to
destabilize the country.
"The office
should work with the relevant stakeholders to shut down the fake site
while creating an early warning system to identify similar sites that
will proliferate in the days ahead and build the necessary alliances
that would make it possible to shut them down within minutes."
According
to Danbatta, collaborative efforts should be established globally to
curb the menace of fake news as it has now been identified as an
international concern.
"Our hope is that
the real Metro newspaper would work with the British High Commission and
the Nigerian authorities to track down those exploiting its name to
commit crime. Those behind the fake news should be treated in this
instance as no less than hackers who deserve to get the maximum
punishment possible once identified," he said.
Meanwhile, Musa Fomson, the national coordinator of Northern Interfaith and Religious Organization for Peace said God has
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