How Rivers state government allegedly fueled the recent army killer-vaccination rumours
- A new report has revealed how the Rivers state government allegedly exacerbated the recent Army killer-vaccination rumours which created pandemonium in the South-South state
- As the rumours spread across the state, the state government put out a statement appearing to lend credibility to the false claims by asking parent to resist any un-authorized attempts to vaccinate their children
- This was despite the fact that the Nigerian army had issued a statement denying any such exercises and urging parents to ignore the rumors
- The actions of the Rivers state government led to a descent by numerous parents upon schools all across the state, to forcefully retrieve their children
It has been revealed that the chaos which was witnessed in Rivers state as a result of the rumours of Nigerian army killer-vaccination exercise; was allegedly caused by the state government.
According to Premium Times, the state government exacerbated the situation with the release of a press statement which urged parents in the state to resist elements going round to administer vaccination on schoolchildren without authorisation by the government.
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Legit.ng notes that while state governments in the northeast, southeast and southsouth had shut down the rumours immediately by declaring categorically that the army was not carrying out any such exercise in any school(s) in their respective states, the Rivers state government had taken a different approach which only poured more gasoline to the fire.
The inciting statement was released by the commissioner for information and communication, Emma Okah; and it was titled: ‘RSG Did Not Authorise The Military To Inoculate School Children.’
It read: “The Rivers state Government did not authorise the Nigeria Army or indeed any other body or person to enter into school premises to administer forced medication or vaccination on any child in any school in Rivers State.
“Inoculation is personal; and consent of the Rivers state Government and parents must first be sought and obtained before it can be administered on any school child in a school premises.
“Consequently, all school heads and parents should resist any such attempt.
“Furthermore, the State Government has set up a Task Force to ensure that no school premises is violated in the State for the purpose of imunising any child.
“We appeal to members of the public to remain calm and return their kids to school as RSG will continue to ensure their peace and security.
“Meanwhile the State Government has ordered the arrest of anyone attempting to vaccinate any child in any school premises in Rivers State.”
In response to the rumours, the Nigerian army had quickly issued a statement, denying the claims that its soldiers were involved in such deadly vaccination exercises.
Aminu Iliyasu, deputy director of army public relations, stated: “The attention of Headquarters 6 Division, Nigerian Army, has been drawn to some rumours making the rounds that some Nigerian Army personnel are going round schools in Rivers State dressed in Military Camouflage uniforms with the intention of forcefully vaccinating students with an unknown substance.
“The callous and unpatriotic rumours spread by these enemies of State are, to say the least, despicable, deplorable and highly condemnable by all well-meaning Nigerians as they are intended to cause pandemonium among the general public.
“The authorities of 6 Division Nigerian Army wishes to inform the general public that while the Nigerian Army plans to undertake such gestures like free medical outreaches, sanitation exercises in host communities and distribution of educational materials as part of our community relations activities during the ongoing Operation CROCODILE SMILE II, these activities are yet to be conducted and will eventually be conducted with the consent of relevant authorities of designated communities and at venues and dates that will be duly communicated to the general public through future press releases and relevant posters.
“For the purpose of emphasis, the Nigerian Army does not and will never carry out its medical outreaches or vaccination exercises for that matter in Schools.
“We can therefore categorically inform the public that the ongoing rumours about Nigerian Army Personnel going round schools in military camouflage to forcefully immunize school children are not true and should therefore be discountenanced with.
“Additionally, members of the public are please requested to call 09072509436-8 to report any case of any impostor(s) that may be seen actually trying to commit such atrocities.”
However, instead of the Rivers state government to help put an end to the panic, it went ahead to release its statement which further increased tensions and caused parents to invade various schools to retrieve their children.
The scared parent's reportedly interpreted the state government’s response as lending credibility to the false claims.
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In a related development, Legit.ng previously reported that the All Progressives Congress accused the governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike, of promoting the rumour that the Army was injecting people with Monkey-pox virus in his state.
The ruling party accused Wike of demoralising the army and being bitter towards the force ever since the proscription of the Indigenous People of Biafra.
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Source: Legit.ng
