The Wolves That Cry Wolf -By Kene Obiezu

The ubiquitous uncertainty sweeping the Giant of Africa at the moment leaves many ears in the country pricked and straining to pick up news good or bad.

This vigilance which has been forced on many Nigerians by shocking events around the country especially incidents of insecurity has seen an increase in the number of hypervigilant Nigerians who have become expert newsmakers whose very eagerness to share the most sensational and salacious news items they come across with their neighbours is to them an act of charity fed by the coals of curiousity.

A riot of rumours

Rumours spread like wild fire in Nigeria. In those days when the kind of technology which powers social media was yet far away, it was a bit more difficult to spread rumours. These days, with social media giving people around the world including master criminals unprecedented access to audiences, it only takes the most minimal efforts for the most malicious of rumours to begin to make the rounds.

A cascade into chaos

Since Boko Haram began full-scale operations in Nigeria in 1999 with Borno State in the Northeast serving as its launchpad, Nigerias security architecture in Nigeria has continued to disintegrate. In just over a decade, hundreds of attacks have been launched on innocent Nigerians and thousands killed, or abducted. All these have resulted in the current situation of grave insecurity that pervades the country at the moment.

Many Nigerians can no longer move around within the country or simply remain in their homes without having to constantly worry about impending attacks or who may be lurking where. All these have made life which was not exactly easy in the country considerably much harder.

A cacophony of clicks

With the increased availability of technology and the social media, these days, it takes very little to send pulses around the world racing at lies sensationally padded to stun and then to outrage. Taking abundant advantage of this has been those who sow hate on social media and consequently disrupt the peace of countries.

On June 5, 2022, three communities of Ungwan Gamu, Dogon Noma, Ungwan Sarki and Maikori villages near Maro in the Kajuru local government area of Kaduna State came under attack by terrorists posing as Fulani herdsmen. When the battle lines were drawn in Maikori, it was alleged that while the local youths battled the attackers bravely, a helicopter took to the skies and took the side of the attackers causing the youths to scamper for safety and the gunmen to move in and destroy the village.

However, debunking the allegation that the attackers had been aided by a helicopter, the Kaduna State Government has since stated that the helicopter was of the Nigerian Airforce and had been deployed to combat the terrorists.

Yet, even without any form of independent verification, many news outlets in Nigeria carried the news forcing Nigerians to wonder loudly what would become of the country if terrorists had the capacity to carry out air raids in the country...

A government under the cosh

The prevalence of fake news has undoubtedly put the Nigerian government under a lot of pressure. There was always pressure coming from the battle against terrorism in different parts of the country. That government has to worry about fake news too has bred an unsettled and anxious citizenry.

A menacing mishmash of misinformation and disinformation

The governments discomfort at the levels of fake news, misinformation and disinformation floating around the country especially in these days of widespread insecurity has resulted in different attempts by the government to regulate the activities of the different social media platforms operating in Nigeria.

But it has not been easy.
A cloud of suspicion

But the outcry against such moves have been great because distrust swirls that the government is not as interested in checking the activities of mischief makers on social media platforms as it in gagging Nigerians.

The conversation will continue for a while but Nigerians must understand that responsible communication is key to combating the many forces that threaten the existence of the country and every citizen has this responsibility.

Kene Obiezu
keneobiezu@gmail.com