Viral photos of scarred children circulating on social media, purportedly showing recently abducted school students from Oyo State, are false and originate from an unrelated incident in Mali, a presidential aide has revealed.
Presidential Clarification
Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Bola Tinubu, issued a public statement on X (formerly Twitter) to clarify the situation. He explained that the graphic images, depicting young children with severe body scarring, were actually taken in Mali in June 2020 after a local teacher brutally flogged his students.
Warning Against Misinformation
According to Onanuga, individuals deliberately spreading these images are likely terrorist sympathisers aiming to sow public panic and tarnish the reputation of the administration and its security forces. He urged the public to disregard the false visuals and rely on official sources for accurate information.
