CP Azare Warns Students: “Fake Alerts Are Criminal—We Will Prosecute”
Akwa Ibom State Police Command on Wednesday sounded a strong alarm over the growing wave of fake news fabrication, cybercrime, cultism, and other safety concerns involving secondary school students, declaring that the trend poses a direct threat to peace and academic stability.
At a high-level joint meeting convened by the Commissioner of Police, CP Baba Mohammed Azare, fsi, and the Honourable Commissioner for Education, Prof. Ubong Umoh, all secondary school principals across the state were brought together for what security sources described as the most comprehensive school-safety briefing in recent years.
Addressing the gathering, CP Azare expressed deep worry over recent incidents where students manufactured and circulated fake security alerts, doctored videos, and false allegations on social media—actions he said were aimed at inducing panic, creating chaos, or interrupting academic activities.
“These acts are criminal. The Cybercrimes Act is clear—any student who fabricates or spreads harmful falsehoods will be held accountable,” he warned, describing the trend as a disturbing abuse of digital tools.
The Commissioner further revealed that the Command has recorded an uptick in student involvement in impersonation, internet fraud, online bullying, scams, cultism, drug abuse, and various forms of campus gangsterism. He assured that the Police will intensify patrols around schools, deploy more School Safety Officers, enhance intelligence operations, and respond swiftly to all reported cases.
As part of new directives to principals, schools are to:Conduct compulsory sensitization on fake news, cyber responsibility, and digital safety, Report all threats immediately to Police and the Ministry of Education,Strengthen counseling units and internal monitoring teams,Reinforce supervision of students’ access to mobile phones and online platforms,Promptly identify at-risk students and engage parents and security agencies and Work closely with Community Safety Officers assigned to their districts.
Reaffirming the Ministry’s partnership with the Police, Prof. Umoh said the government remains committed to safe campuses and will intensify policy enforcement, administrative oversight, and statewide awareness programmes.
In a notable revelation, Mrs. Emma Ubongabasi James, Principal of Mary Hanney Secondary School, Oron, confirmed that the alleged kidnap incident reported last week was a complete hoax engineered by a 15-year-old student seeking social media attention. She condemned the act and praised the Police for timely clarification.
Concluding the session, CP Azare stressed that Akwa Ibom remains one of Nigeria’s safest states:
“We will not allow digital recklessness, cultism, or criminality to infiltrate our schools. Working with the Ministry and our principals, we will safeguard every learning environment.”
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