The Nigerian presidency on Tuesday addressed rumours claiming that President Bola Tinubu had removed some ministers from his cabinet.
This reaction followed a viral report that claimed the Minister of Power, Bayo Adelabu, Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle and Minister of Defence, Badaru Abubakar had been sacked.
The presidency has now confirmed that the report is false.
The statement came from the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who reacted through a post on his social media page.
He explained that the story being circulated was made up and lacked any connection to the truth.
He added that such stories were causing confusion and must be properly dealt with.
Onanuga urged security agencies to step in and go after the individuals and platforms responsible for spreading the false news.
He expressed worry over how some online platforms continue to post such stories without verifying their accuracy, allowing them to spread quickly and deceive the public.
He also supported an earlier clarification by the group Renewed Hope United Kingdom, which had also said that the ministers in question were not removed from office.
The group described the fake report as a planned attempt to confuse Nigerians and create unnecessary tension.
The presidency is calling for more action against those who create and spread fake stories, stating that freedom of speech does not give anyone the right to share lies.
