The Lagos State Government has threatened to take legal action against an X user who allegedly shared a misleading flood video and falsely linked it to the state.
The Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, disclosed this on Tuesday through a series of posts on X, stating that deleting the post after it had been corrected would not remove the user’s responsibility.
According to Wahab, the video shared by the user, identified as “Enugu Loudspeaker (#Jamessucre2),” was not from Lagos but from Bangladesh.
He urged social media users to verify the authenticity of information before sharing content, warning that false claims could mislead the public and distract from genuine issues affecting residents.
“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 said.
The commissioner noted that while the government respected citizens’ right to freedom of expression, such rights came with responsibilities and legal boundaries.
He said spreading false information could damage the efforts of the Lagos State Government and also weaken legitimate complaints from residents experiencing real challenges.
“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,” he added.
Following the government’s clarification, the X user admitted that the video was not from Nigeria and removed the post.
“It’s been confirmed to have happened outside the country. The post has been taken down,” the user wrote.
However, the Lagos State Government maintained that it would continue with legal proceedings despite the deletion and retraction of the post.
