Lai to human rights groups: Don’t complain when we go after fake news peddlers

Lai Mohammed, minister of information, has warned human rights organisations not to “complain” when the federal government takes action against fake news peddlers.

Speaking at the media briefing organised by the presidential task force on COVID-19 in Abuja on Friday, Mohammed said the rate at which fake news spread on issues relating to government matters was worrisome.

According to the minister, the major motive of purveyors of fake news is to oust the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

He said the government has identified and is investigating websites that publish fake news and they will be sanctioned.

“We are documenting these fake news. We are investigating the websites and also investigating the proponents, and when we trace the websites, we trace them to people who have a pathological hate for this government,” he said.

“We traced them to people who have hosted their websites outside Nigeria and we are waiting for them. I want to take an opportunity to sound a clear warning to all humanitarian organisations, all the human rights fighters, that no government will fold its arms and allow fake news to destroy it. So, when we start taking appropriate actions, we hope nobody would complain.

“It is very important for us to interrogate the motives of the purveyors of fake news. For many of them, the 2019 election is not yet over. For them, it is a must to bring down this government. For some, it is about attacking the integrity of some individuals, attacking the integrity of the programmes of government, so that the government will not achieve anything.”

He cited some instances of fake news attributed to members of the task force, noting that such information could affect the credibility of the members of the PTF.

“For example, they said the committee has agreed to share whatever money is collected. That is an attack on every member of this committee so that whatever we say nobody will take seriously,” he added.

“Fake news poses a real threat not just to our democracy, but to the very existence of our country. In July 2018, the ministry launched a national campaign against fake news. This campaign took us to many media houses across the country. International platforms and social media platforms also supported us. But yet, fake news has refused to die.”