Video, Say Youths Not Mobilising Against Insurgents — Gombe Police Clarify Viral

A video circulating on social media, which suggested that youths in Gombe State were preparing to confront insurgents, has been debunked by the state's police command. The video, which was widely shared on Facebook, featured the sound of gunshots in the background and was accompanied by a caption that claimed the youths were ready to defend themselves against insurgents. However, according to the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Abdullahi Buhari, the video was actually taken during a traditional celebration and had no connection to any security operations or mobilisation against insurgents. Buhari explained that the gunshots heard in the footage were fired by local hunters during festivities held to honour the Emir of Gombe during Sallah celebrations. He stated, '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. If you noticed, the environment is around the kofa (premises) of the king.' Buhari urged the public to verify information before sharing it, warning that the spread of misinformation could cause unnecessary panic and confusion. He added, 'I have seen that video. It’s a description of the event in the video. They wrote something entirely different from what was happening in the video. I guess it was written to get traffic and confuse the public. If you listened to what was said, the description was wrong.' The police spokesperson reiterated the command's commitment to maintaining peace and security in the state and cautioned social media users against spreading unverified information.