Police arrest man for ‘sharing old video’ where officers are accused of robbery

The police command in Bauchi says one Adamu Suleiman has been arrested for allegedly sharing an old video in which some officers were accused of robbery in the state.

The police said the viral video was an armed robbery incident that happened along Kano-Maiduguri road in Dambam LGA on February 18, 2020.

In the video, a police van belonging to Dambam division was seen at the scene of the incident.

A male voice was also heard in the background accusing police officers of robbing and harassing residents and commuters.

A version of the video was posted on Facebook  in February 18, 2020.

At a press briefing on Tuesday, Ahmed Kuli, Bauchi police spokesperson, said the video, which is recently being circulated, is “outdated and does not accurately represent any recent actions of police officers”.

Kuli said the police officers abandoned their van at the scene to chase armed robbers after responding to a distress call.

The Bauchi police spokesperson said some persons decided to spread “misleading information” against the police by sharing the video.

“The command takes matters of public misinformation very seriously, particularly when they have the potential to incite fear, confusion, or unrest among the members of the public,” Kuli said.

“We want to make it categorically clear that the command will not hesitate to arrest and prosecute anyone found disseminating false or misleading content intended to undermine the reputation and operations of the Nigeria Police Force.

“In line with our commitment to maintaining public order, the Command has arrested Adamu Ahmed Suleiman ‘m’ of Anguwan Sarakuna, Bauchi who was actively involved in spreading the aforementioned video clip across social media platforms.

“His action was deliberately attempting to mislead and incite the public against the Nigeria Police Force, his actions of posting offensive and defamatory content, and spreading false information constitutes an act to provoke a breakdown of public peace and safety in Bauchi State which is criminalized under section 27 of the Cybercrimes Act 2024.”