The Ogun state police command has apprehended a man for allegedly staging a fake bandit attack video on social media.
According to a counterinsurgency publication, Zagazola Makama, the incident was reported on May 23 after one Ayinla Sodiq from Obasanjo Ota appeared at a police station alongside the suspect identified as Qowiy Oloyede from Oriya Sokoto road, Atan Ota.
The complainant had accused the suspect of creating and sharing a misleading TikTok video falsely claiming that bandits had invaded the Atan Ota community.
The aforementioned publication reported that the divisional police officer (DPO) immediately questioned the suspect, who allegedly confessed to fabricating the video to gain followers on social media.
In a viral video circulating on social media, the suspect was seen kneeling while being interrogated by a person dressed in a police uniform.
The suspect admitted in the video that he created the fake bandit attack content to gain followers and trend online.
He also said the herder featured in the clip was a cattle rearer who usually grazed cows behind his shop and had initially refused to participate, but eventually agreed to do so.
The suspect further claimed he could neither read nor write, adding that his apprentice wrote the caption accompanying the video posted online.
He added that he had only produced and posted two similar videos, one on Monday and another on Wednesday.
The police authorities were said to have recovered photographs and video evidence linked to the fake publication during preliminary investigation.
The publication added that the suspect is expected to be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) in Abeokuta for further investigation.
According to the report, the police also warned residents against spreading false information that could cause panic or public disorder, urging them to verify information before sharing content on social media.