Operatives of the Bayelsa State Police Command have successfully tracked down and arrested a 23-year-old student of the University of Uyo (UniUyo), Akwa Ibom State, for allegedly manufacturing and spreading a highly destructive false alarm regarding a purported bandit invasion and coordinated attacks on schools.
The 300-level undergraduate, identified as Promise Etete, was arrested following an intensive digital investigation and technical tracking operation spearheaded by the command's cyber-intelligence unit to unmask the source of viral publications that disrupted local commercial activities earlier this month.
Confirming the high-profile arrest, the Bayelsa State Commissioner of Police, CP Iyamah Edebor, disclosed that the suspect was responsible for originating a malicious social media post on June 5, 2026.
The viral publication falsely claimed that bandits had heavily infiltrated various communities across Bayelsa and that local militants had subsequently captured them, demanding hefty ransoms for their release.
The false report generated massive psychological distress throughout the state, causing anxious parents to panic and frantically rush to schools to withdraw their children, while temporarily grounding local markets and transport hubs.
"Following extensive on-the-spot assessment and intelligence gathering, it became evident that the information being circulated was entirely false and without any factual basis," CP Iyamah Edebor stated during the press briefing.
CP Edebor revealed that the suspect is currently being detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Bayelsa State Command, where he has already made useful confessional statements to detectives.
Reassuring residents that there was absolutely no bandit presence or threat to public academic institutions within the territory, the police chief issued a stern warning against the irresponsible use of digital networks.
He emphasized that the cyberspace is not beyond the reach of law enforcement and warned that individuals who deploy cyber-tools to incite public disorder will face the full wrath of the amended Cybercrimes Act.
#BayelsaPolice #CybercrimeNigeria #FalseAlarm #UniUyo #CPIyamahEdebor #FakeNews #SocialMediaRegulation
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