Oyo Police deny viral video claims of “Lukarawa” infiltration, urge calm
Abdullateef Fowewe
The Oyo State Police Command has denied claims circulating on social media that suspected “Lukarawa” terrorists had moved into forests around Ogbomoso and the Old Oyo National Park, describing the reports as false and misleading.
This was made known in a statement obtained from Oyo State Police Command on Wednesday.
The Command said, “The Oyo State Police Command wishes to address and clarify a video and accompanying voice note currently circulating across various social media platforms alleging the movement and infiltration of suspected Lukarawa terrorists into forests around Ogbomoso and the Old Oyo National Park.”
It added that it “unequivocally rejects and dismisses the claims contained in the said video and voice note as false, misleading, and entirely without factual basis.”
The force said its intelligence assessments and security reports do not support any such movement.
The statement noted investigators found the footage being shared is not recent and is “an old video that has been in circulation for some time and is being deliberately recycled and misrepresented to create fear, panic, and apprehension among residents of Oyo State.”
The Command therefore “urges members of the public to refrain from sharing unverified security-related content and to always seek confirmation from official sources before disseminating such information.”
Despite dismissing the report as false, the police said they have increased security measures in the area.
“Consequently, intelligence and covert operatives have been strategically deployed to border communities and other vulnerable locations within the affected axis to further strengthen the robust security architecture and early warning mechanisms already in place,” the statement said.
It added that deployed operatives are working “in close synergy with existing local security structures, community-based intelligence networks, traditional institutions, hunters, vigilante groups, and other critical stakeholders.”
The Command also outlined stepped-up visible policing, including “confidence-building patrols, intelligence-led stop-and-search operations, and strategic deployments across Ogbomoso, the Old Oyo National Park axis, and adjoining border communities,” measures it said are aimed at reassuring residents and deterring criminal elements.
Warning against the spread of false alerts, the statement expressed concern about “the increasing trend of fake news, misinformation, and unverified security alerts being deliberately circulated on social media platforms,” saying such reports can “create unnecessary panic, generate fear among law-abiding citizens, undermine public confidence, disrupt economic activities, and divert security resources from genuine security concerns.”
The Command warned that the dissemination of false security information “constitutes a criminal offence punishable under extant laws” and pledged to identify, investigate, arrest, and prosecute those responsible.
The statement concluded by urging citizens to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity to the nearest police station or emergency channel, while reassuring the public that, contrary to the viral claims, the Command’s information shows “there is currently no credible intelligence indicating the presence or” a sentence in the obtained document that trails off, with the Command emphasising there is no factual basis for the alleged infiltration.
