NEMA Disowns Social Media Report Linking Abuja Explosion to Suicide Bombing
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has categorically denied reports circulating on social media that attribute the recent explosion near the Mogadishu Cantonment in Abuja to a suicide bombing.
By Chimezie Godfrey
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has categorically denied reports circulating on social media that attribute the recent explosion near the Mogadishu Cantonment in Abuja to a suicide bombing.
In an official press release issued on Wednesday, the agency disassociated itself from the viral claims, describing them as misinformation stemming from an unauthorized breach of its communication platform.
”The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) distances itself from the reports on social media attributing the cause of the recent explosion at the bus stop near Mogadishu Cantonment to suicide bombing,” the statement read.
According to NEMA, its primary mandate during emergency situations is to coordinate the response efforts of various stakeholders and not to determine the causes of incidents.
“Our role is to coordinate stakeholders’ response. Investigations into the cause of such incidents are the responsibility of the Nigeria Police and other security agencies,” the agency clarified.
The agency also emphasized that the false report being circulated did not originate from its verified channels and appears to be the result of a security breach currently under investigation.
“We attribute the unverified social media post to a breach of our platform, which is currently being investigated,” NEMA said.
Reiterating its official position, the agency referred the public to its earlier statement issued through the Press Unit, which focused solely on its coordination of emergency response at the explosion site. That statement, NEMA stressed, made no reference to the cause of the explosion.
NEMA urged members of the public and the media to rely only on official channels for accurate information and cautioned against the spread of unverified claims.
As of press time, the Nigeria Police and other security agencies have not released any official findings on the cause of the explosion. Investigations are ongoing.