"Report Accurately, Stop Causing Panic In Ebonyi With Fake News" - Umahi to Journalists


Governor David Nweze Umahi of Ebonyi State has asked journalists to desist from using fake news to cause panic in the State.


Governor Umahi noted that his attention has drawn to the news and a purportedly doctored audio and video making the rounds on Social and Print Media alleging that the governor banned Chijioke Agwu and Peter Okutu of Daily Sun Newspapers and Vanguard Newspaper.


In a statement made available to Igbere TV on Thursday by the Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Francis Nwaze, Umahi said there were false reports from Chijioke Agwu of Daily Sun who reported that Lassa fever is killing Ebonyians in Droves on Tuesday, 14th April 2020, and Peter Okutu who reported that the Nigerian Military killed 20 Ebonyians just last weekend on 21st April 2020.

The statement added that the the two journalists were never embarrassed, intimidated, or harassed to the knowledge of the Governor in any government event as alleged and the governor never ordered for such.


The statement reads in full,


"My attention has been drawn to the news and a purportedly doctored audio and video making the rounds on Social and Print Media alleging that the governor banned Chijioke Agwu and Peter Okutu of Daily Sun Newspapers and Vanguard Newspaper respectively for life for publishing false reports and I make bold to state as follows:

1. That there were false reports from Chijioke Agwu of Daily Sun who reported that Lassa fever is killing Ebonyians in Droves on Tuesday, 14th April 2020, and Peter Okutu who reported that the Nigerian Military killed 20 Ebonyians just last weekend on 21st April 2020.

2. That the above two reports all raised alarm and caused panic in the midst of the fight against COVID19. No case of confirmed death caused by Lassa fever has been recorded in recent times in Ebonyi state neither was there any killing by the Nigerian Military last weekend in Ebonyi. The reports were all ill-conceived and have no truth in them.

3. The two journalists were never embarrassed, intimidated, or harassed to the knowledge of the Governor in any government event as alleged and the governor never ordered for such.

4. That the governor, Engr. David Umahi, FNSE, FNATE had on 15th and 22nd April 2020 called on the attention of the state NUJ Chapter, Comr. Tony Nwizi and advised him and his executive members to admonish members of the union in the state to ensure they make their findings correctly and avoid unverified and false reports as it doesn’t help in the progress and building of our country, Nigeria and also capable of causing panic in Ebonyi state.

5. That the governor never ordered a ban on any journalist from attending state functions.

Having made the above clarifications; I, therefore, call on the general public, NUJ and others concerned to discountenance with the false reports, videos and audio as they are either a figment of the bearers imagination which they brought to bear or a deliberate attempt geared towards smearing the hard-earned good reputation and good media relationship of the governor."

Source : http://igberetvnews.com/1348779/report-accurately-stop-causing-panic-ebonyi-fake-news-gov-umahi-journalists/

If that's what actually happened, then he have a point

DigitalBrands01:
If that's what actually happened, then he have a point

He definitely had a point..most people couldn't read between the lines in the previous thread before condemning him and calling him a dictator

Shame to all enemies of Ebonyi state.

If you must publish reports, report what is true. My mother was on her way to Mgbo on the said day of Navy invasion and killing of 20 Mgbo people and while she was there live, she confided in me that they only shot high up in the sky and never directed their shooting to civilians. They only scared civilians and as such no casualty was recorded. That followed reports they received that their fellow Naval officer was allegedly killed and buried in that area following rural conflicts. But my mother was in that Okwor market as people scampered for safety while gun bullets were fired to the sky, she was in her car anyway and said ndi mmadu gbara oso, onwero onye agba egbe ( people dismissed, nobody was shot ).

I don't know about the droves of death of lassa fever patients, but reporters should always tell the truth.

The way media dey hype things ehn...

That's is after banning them from Ebonyi state.

Power can indeed be intoxicated

Wicked man,go to Ebonyi and see how selfish,greedy and wicked this man is .

Fake news can creates more fear and it's more dangerous and can kill faster than corona

#Stopspreadingfakenews

People like mynd44 and lalasticlala no go see this rejoinder from the government na to post rubbish from audio ebonyi indigenes in diaspora.

You people are just hell bent on painting the administration black but God pass una