The federal government has said it has uncovered a number of online publication sites dedicated to putting out fake news to spite the government.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja at the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations on a courtesy visit. 

“It will amaze you that recently we unveiled almost 476 online publication sites that are dedicated to daily engaging in churning out fake news to fight the government,” Mr Mohammed said. 

Mr Mohammed noted that fake news is threatening the existence of the country as the effects would not affect not only the government but the well being of every Nigerian.

The minister added that his ministry had spearheaded the campaign against fake news years back before the menace got so bad.

The Buhari-led administration has been vocal about curbing the spread of fake news despite being caught in a lie on a couple of occasions including when Bashir Ahmad,  a media aide of the president took to social media with a purported statement from the “European Union Human Rights Forum” that commended President Buhari for rescuing the kidnapped Kankara school boys in Katsina state. 

However, after checks by the Peoples Gazette, it was discovered that there is no group called the European Union Human Rights Forum nor is there the existence of Joseph Cullen, the “special rapporteur” who the statement was supposedly signed by. 

Garba Shehu, a presidential spokesman, had stated that only 10 schoolboys had been abducted from the secondary school in Katsina in spite of multiple reports saying otherwise. 

Mr Shehu had, following the news of the abduction, spoken to BBC Hausa on December 14 saying that only 10 boys were kidnapped. He later came out to apologise for sharing misleading information after the boys were released. 

The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, also in an interview with Tim Sebastian of DW said that there was no bill to regulate social media before the National Assembly.

However, “The Protection from Internet Falsehood and Manipulation Bill” which seeks to criminalise the use of social media in peddling false or malicious information is still before the legislature.

In 2018, Bashir Ahmed had taken to social media flaunting an award given to President Buhari. The award was in recognition of the Presidents’ leadership and fight against corruption. It was supposedly given by a group associated with Martin Luther King.

The Martin Luther King, Jr Centre came out to dissociate itself from this award. The group tweeted: “The award given to President Buhari of Nigeria was not given by The King Center, at the request of The King Center or by the children of #MLK and #CorettaScottKing. @MrFixNigeria” — The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center (@TheKingCenter) March 28, 2018

Last October, The Nigerian Army opened live ammunition on peaceful protesters calling for the abolition of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a police unit known for its brutality, this resulted in a number of deaths.  

The army first claimed that it had not been at the tollgate, then it said it was there but it had not used live ammunition. At a later time the army acknowledged that it did—to counter “hoodlums” that had infiltrated the protesters.