No new insurgency group in Kebbi – Commissioner

Kebbi State Commissioner for Information and Culture, Alhaji Yakubu Ahmed, has dismissed reports of the emergence of a new insurgency group in the state, calling it “Sai Malam”.
Ahmed stated this when he led a high-level media delegation on a courtesy call to the Managing Director of News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Malam Ali M. Ali, in Abuja on Tuesday.
He described the insinuation as not only an outright lie but also a calculated misinformation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The commissioner also said that a media report alleging that more than 130 children die daily in the state due to a high child mortality rate is far from the truth.
He said that investigations by relevant security agencies had confirmed that it was a group of young people engaged in cybercrime to extort people in the state.
“When that information was dished out, it alarmed virtually everybody. We were inundated in Kebbi State with calls across the country and beyond about the sincerity of that information.
“Fortunately for us, the Department of State Services (DSS) and the police launched painstaking investigations to unravel the truth.
“What they found out was that instead of a terror group, what we are talking about is a group of young people who are into cybercrimes, manipulating the computer and reaching out to government officials and people who they believe have money.
“Arrests have already been made. And these are the same people who call themselves Yan-Vocal. It is these “Yan Vocal” people that are now being referred to as Sai Malam,” he said.
Ahmed further stated that the investigation had revealed that opposition elements sponsored the disinformation for political gains.
He said that the state government had been battling opposition elements that were engaging in what he called serious acts of disinformation and half-truths to paint the government in a bad light.
“They exaggerate situations, thinking they will make some political gains out of them.
“Just a few days ago, it was reported on BBC Hausa Service that more than 130 children are dying in Kebbi State daily,” he said.
“Disgruntled political elements completely fabricated the alarming statistics to paint the Gov. Nasir Idris-led state government in bad light ahead of the forthcoming general elections.
“You can imagine, and we have less than half a million people at that age level. If they are dying at 130 daily, in the next one year, there will be no child left in Kebbi State. So that is a complete lie.
“In fact, the UNICEF that was said to have issued that statement reached out to us and said that the information was not from them,” he said.
The commissioner sought NAN’s collaboration in sensitisation to enable the public to know the truth and be aware of the numerous achievements of the Idris-led administration in the state.
“They (opposition) are thinking that all this disinformation and half-truth will pave the way for them to corner power in the next election.
“So, we solicit cooperation in enlightening the public on these things in particular and to assist Kebbi State government to reach out to the larger Nigerian community with information on the unprecedented achievements recorded by this government in the last three years,” Ahmed said.
In his remarks, the NAN managing director said that the rise of citizen journalism and Artificial Intelligence (AI) had made it increasingly easy for fake news to thrive.
He recalled hearing the disturbing report on the radio and welcomed the official rebuttal.
“When I listened to the BBC about the mortality rate there, it was very disturbing. I waited for a while to see a rebuttal of the report, and now it has come,” he said.
Ali assured the delegation that NAN, Africa’s largest news content provider with roughly 600 field reporters operating under strict factual accuracy standards, would partner with the state government to project the truth.
While commending the information management by the delegation, he urged the information managers to be more aggressive in disseminating accurate information about the state.
“Kebbi State, under the present administration, is a mixed pack where, in one moment, people see the state in a positive light, with the governor breaking boundaries and barriers in reforming a decaying system by building infrastructure.
“In another instance, issues of insecurity, though not limited to the state, are sometimes misrepresented.
“My counsel to you and your team of excellent professionals is to always be the first with the story – the truth.
“Be the first. Don’t be on the defensive. Go on the offensive. Like you rightly said, the election is around the corner. This is the time you all have to be very vigilant. Fake stories abound. People are more inclined to believe sensationalism.
“In NAN, we don’t have that luxury to be sensational. We always report factually. That’s why over the years, we’ve come to be trusted. People always say unless they see it in NAN, they don’t believe it.
“But in these days of citizen journalism and AI, it’s quite difficult sometimes for the ordinary person to differentiate between what is real and what is fake,” the managing director said.
NAN reports that other members of the delegation included the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Alhaji Yahaya Sarki, and his counterpart in Communications Strategy, Alhaji Abdullahi Zuru.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Idris, the Special Adviser on Public Enlightenment and Orientation, Alhaji Ibrahim Jombali, and the Special Adviser on New Media, Alhaji Aliyu Bandado, were also part of the team.