The Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has debunked reports of a bomb explosion in Jos, the Plateau state capital.
Several newspaper outlets reported on Tuesday that an explosion rocked the Terminus area of the state, leaving many people dead and several others injured.
However, while reacting to the report, Mutfwang refuted the claims, describing it as a “rumour.”
Speaking at a conflict sensitivity workshop in Plateau State, the governor noted that the bomb scare came after people reported seeing an object around the Terminus market.
Our correspondent, who was at the workshop, gathered from the governor that operatives of the police’s anti-bomb squad were quickly mobilised to the area where they confirmed the rumours to be false.
He said, “Rumour went around that there was a bomb and the EOPD of the Police had to be there, and I am glad to inform everyone here that there was no bomb whatsoever. But it was good that people were sensitive, that they saw an object, and they suspected that this object should be investigated.
“I think that is part of what we are called to do in society. Let’s be sensitive to things around us; let’s be sensitive to movement around us; let’s be sensitive to comments around us.
“We’ve been able to nip a lot of potential disasters by picking up credible intelligence and were able to nip the situations in the bud.”
The governor, however, urged social media users to use the platform for sharing credible and verified information in a bid to prevent panic in the state and the country at large.
“But we must also be responsible, particularly in the use of social media. Social media has become a tool for conflict creation. It has become a tool for destabilisation, and we must most be responsible in making sure that we manage social media responsibly,” he added.
