The Lagos State Government has threatened legal action against an X user for reportedly sharing a misleading flood video falsely attributed to the state.
The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed this in a series of posts on X on Tuesday, insisting that deleting the post after it had been debunked would not shield the user from legal consequences.
“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,” Wahab wrote.
The commissioner said the video shared by the user, popularly known as “Enugu Loudspeaker (#Jamessucre2),”did not originate from Lagos.
“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.
Wahab stressed that while the government respected citizens’ right to freedom of expression, such rights must be exercised responsibly.
“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,” he said.
He added that “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.”
Following the government’s clarification, the X user admitted that the video did not originate from Nigeria and deleted the post.
“It’s been confirmed to have happened outside the country. The post has been taken down,” the user wrote.
Despite the retraction, the Lagos State Government maintained that it would proceed with legal action over the dissemination of the false information.
