News of Leah Sharibu’s death fake — FG

The federal government has described reports in the social media that Leah Sharibu, the abducted Dapchi schoolgirl, has died in captivity as fake news.

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in a statement issued to journalists on Sunday said the report is “absolutely fake news. There is nothing like that”.

He said the rumour, which surfaced just a few days to the presidential election, is another ploy by the political opposition to tarnish the image of the administration and exploit primordial sentiments ahead of the polls.

“I think it’s part of the opposition’s strategies to throw everything at the administration and at the President. I think every day they are realizing the hopelessness of their position.

“Every day they are amazed by the support Mr. President is receiving from every part of the country and they have decided that they are going to spread falsehood, inflame passion and make this election a Muslim-Christian affair or North-South affair, but people are not listening to them,” the minister said.

Speaking on the Monday’s presidential campaign rally in Ilorin, he said the All Progressives Congress (APC) has put everything in place to ensure that the visit of President Buhari is a huge success.

He said the crowd that will come out to receive the President will be organic as the party does not engage in renting crowds.

Mohammed appealed to security agencies to create a level playing field for all the contestants in the election to allow the people to freely exercise their franchise.

He also described the protest in some circles over the redeployment of police commissioners as the handiwork of the opposition, which is working to discredit the police and the Independent National Electoral Commission.