Citizens Against Fake Activists (CAFA) is appalled by the tenuous lies being peddled by one troll factory under the auspices of Concerned Nigerians (CN) and its convener, Deji Adeyanju, who has now been proven to be working with interests that want to jeopardize Nigeria’s ability to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. It is important that the relevant security agencies immediately investigate him.
In a pattern that has become synonymous with him, Adeyanju again deployed fake news to the effect that law enforcement agents have killed more Nigerians in the course of enforcing the stay at home directive than the virus has killed. CAFA is concerned that this kind of irresponsible behavior will encourage gullible people to flout the lockdown directive and thereby encourage the spread of the disease.
The impression created by Adeyanju in his misleading statement was that a few people that chose to disregard the stay at home order are entitled to compromise the safety of others by engaging in acts that will speed up the spread of the killer virus. There is ample science backed data to show that countries that took social isolation seriously recorded comparatively lower cases while those whose citizens misconstrued the concept of civil liberties to disregard government-imposed lockdown are today paying the price by way of a disproportionately high human toll.
CAFA therefore categorically dismisses Adeyanju’s allegations against the security and military agencies as patent falsehood intended to blackmail the military, the police and President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration like he has been paid to do and consistent with his obsession with demonizing the aforementioned. The only verified instance of killing, which took place in Delta state, is being investigated by the appropriate authorities while the other instances mentioned by the paid activist have been investigated and discarded.
Nigerians should recall that CAFA had raised the alarm over an increase in the deliberate attempts by crisis entrepreneurs and political merchants of war masquerading as activists to cause discontent in the country. Their sole aim is to discredit the Buhari led administration and it is now apparent that they do not care if they expose millions of Nigerians to the deadly COVID-19 with their irresponsible acts.
Adeyanju, like his fellow paid activists, has the right to make a living off paid activism as he did in the past including openly supporting the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), a group that a competent court properly designated as a terrorist organization. He perfected the act of creating phantom casualties for when his clients protest, including the protests in which he arranged thugs to attack himself so that he can blame the government for deploying excessive force against him. But Adeyanju should have by now realize that COVID-19 is a threat to humanity and it is not his call to encourage people to disregard the government ordered lockdown and social distancing necessary for dealing with the pandemic.
CAFA calls on the security agencies to thoroughly investigate Adeyanju over the inciteful nature of the lies he is telling to make people flout the stay at home order. It is important to address the trouble being fomented by Adeyanju and nip it in the bud. He should not be allowed to create the impression that the government, military and security agencies are the enemies when in reality COVID-19 is the enemy. Authorities must also note that Adeyanju’s attempt at incitement is like a pilot or testing the waters for his circuit of paid activists to know how the government will respond to such criminality. Where they sense a tepid response to Adeyanju’s lies they will then escalate the incitement until it leads to social unrest that they are hoping will bring the government down.
Meanwhile, since Adeyanju’s statement is based, in part, on the lie that people “could no longer bear the brunt of the stay-at-home order by the government,” CAFA is appealing to Nigerians to take advantage of the various palliatives being provided by the government, organizations, religious bodies and well spirited individuals. There is a place for being positively proud but there is also the time for the humility to accept help as people the world over have been compelled to do since this virus shut down economies and unleash hardship on populations.
Signed
Comrade Ibrahim Kabiru Dallah
Director of Communications and Publicity
