A young man simply identified as Qawiyu Ibaragun has been arrested by the Ogun State Police Command for sharing a fabricated video of a bandit attack on social media.
Qawiyu, a resident of Sokoto Road in Atan-Ota during questioning has however appealed to the police for forgiveness saying he raised the alarm only to get social media followers.
He said: “I raised a fake bandits attack just to gain TikTok followers. Please forgive me. My Ileya customers’ clothes are still in my shop.”
When asked how he got the Fulani herdsman he used in the video, the man said, “The Fulani herdsman used to move with his cows in their area just behind his shop.
“I asked him to feature in the video so that I could get content. He initially refused but I insisted. I told my apprentice to do the recording. I did it because I saw people doing it to gain followers.”
He further stated that he is illiterate and unable to read or write, and that his apprentice wrote the caption that accompanied the video. He also confessed to having posted two such fake videos one on Monday and another on Wednesday.
The state police spokesperson confirmed the arrest and said the case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further action.
