The Lagos State Government has announced plans to institute legal proceedings against an X user accused of circulating a misleading flood video that was falsely presented as an incident that occurred in Lagos.
The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed this in a series of posts on X on Tuesday, stressing that removing the content after it had been proven false would not prevent the government from taking legal action.
According to Wahab, the state government considers the deliberate spread of false information a serious matter capable of misleading residents and damaging public confidence.
“Taking down the post after misleading the public does not absolve you of the responsibility. Appropriate legal action will still be pursued, and this matter will be taken to its logical conclusion in accordance with the law,” the commissioner stated.
Wahab explained that investigations showed the viral flood footage shared by the social media user, popularly identified as “Enugu Loudspeaker (#Jamessucre2),” was not recorded in Lagos or anywhere in Nigeria.
Instead, he said the video originated from Bangladesh and had been wrongly attributed to Lagos State.
“The flood video you shared and attributed to Lagos State is actually from Bangladesh. We kindly encourage you to verify the authenticity and origin of such content before sharing it, as the dissemination of inaccurate information can mislead the public and undermine genuine discussions about issues affecting Lagos,” he said.
The commissioner emphasised that although the government recognises and respects the constitutional right of citizens to express themselves freely, such rights should be exercised responsibly and within the boundaries of the law.
“While we acknowledge and respect everyone’s right to freedom of expression, it is important to recognize that every right comes with corresponding responsibilities and legal limits,” Wahab said.
He further argued that deliberately spreading false narratives not only creates unnecessary panic but also weakens legitimate complaints made by residents regarding environmental and infrastructure challenges.
“The deliberate dissemination of false information and misleading narratives not only undermines the efforts of the Lagos State Government but also diminishes the credibility of genuine complaints raised by well-meaning residents,” he added.
Following the government’s clarification, the X user admitted that the footage was not recorded in Nigeria and subsequently removed the post from the platform.
“It’s been confirmed to have happened outside the country. The post has been taken down,” the user wrote.
Despite the public retraction and deletion of the post, the Lagos State Government maintained that legal proceedings would continue, insisting that individuals who knowingly or negligently spread false information should be held accountable.
The government said it remains committed to protecting the integrity of public information and ensuring that misinformation capable of causing confusion or undermining governance is addressed through lawful means.
