The Yobe State Police Command has rejected a social media report alleging that a police officer, Isah Abubakar, died while attempting to save a baby from floodwaters in Damaturu.
The command said the officer actually drowned on August 3, 2026, after his bicycle plunged into a ditch filled with water as he headed to work following heavy rainfall.
The clarification came after a post on Instagram alleged that an officer identified as Albani was swept away after rescuing a baby caught in floodwater in the state capital.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Dungus Abdulkarim, described the report as completely untrue, saying the circumstances surrounding Abubakar’s death were different from those contained in the viral post.
According to him, the deceased was cycling to his duty post in the morning when he encountered a waterlogged section of the road. He said residents had warned the officer about the danger posed by a ditch along the route.
Abdulkarim said, “The officer was on his way to the office in the morning, riding a bicycle. There had been heavy rain the previous night, which caused a large accumulation of water along the route.”
He added, “People warned him not to pass through the water because there was a ditch there. He went ahead, fell into the ditch and drowned.”
The police spokesman said there was no evidence that the officer was involved in any attempt to rescue a child, describing the claim as an invention circulated online.
“I don’t know what baby he would be rescuing while riding a bicycle. There is nothing like that. It is not true. Somebody just crafted that story and posted it on Instagram,” Abdulkarim stated.
A police internal signal reportedly confirmed that Abubakar, who served with the Desert Intervention Squad, Haha Maza, died at about 6:30am after drowning along the Malumatari–Gujba Road in Damaturu.
The command consequently advised members of the public to verify information from authorised sources before sharing reports, particularly those concerning deaths and security incidents.