By Adewole Kehinde
Once again, Sahara Reporters has demonstrated its unwavering commitment to misinformation rather than responsible journalism.
Its latest publication, titled “EXCLUSIVE: Female Police Officers In Enugu Forced To Pay N5,000–N10,000 For 70th Nigerian Women Police Anniversary, Threatened With Transfers”, is nothing more than a fabricated tale designed to mislead the public and malign the Nigeria Police Force.
To begin with, Sahara Reporters must be reminded that the Nigeria Police Force does not circulate official or “internal memos” via WhatsApp, as the platform falsely insinuated.
The mere reliance on a WhatsApp message, an open, easily manipulated channel, is amateurish at best and deceptive at worst. No credible journalist should build an entire scandal around something anyone can create with a few clicks. This is junk journalism in its rawest form.
Furthermore, Sahara Reporters’ claim that female officers were compelled to pay N5,000 to N10,000 into a private account for the 70th Anniversary Celebration of the Nigeria Women Police is laughable to anyone familiar with the structure of police operations.
Programmes of such magnitude and national relevance do not involve payments into individual accounts. Procedures are transparent, institutional, and documented. Nothing goes into any personal account.
If Sahara Reporters insists on its claims, it should present the names, ranks, and verifiable statements of the officers allegedly “being enforced to pay”, not anonymous shadows. It should also provide evidence of the threats of “punitive transfers to remote or difficult terrains.” Until then, this allegation remains what it is: a figment of the reporter’s imagination.
As expected, Sahara Reporters also tried to hide under its favourite escape line: “Efforts to reach the police spokesperson were unsuccessful.” This lie has become a signature of the platform.
The Enugu State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe, is one of the most accessible and responsive police PROs in the country. Reliable checks confirm that Sahara Reporters never contacted him on the so-called payment saga. None. Not by call, not by text, not by email. Their claim is, once again, a deliberate falsehood to give credibility to a baseless report.
Meanwhile, I commend the Commissioner of Police, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, for promptly directing the State Intelligence Department (SID) to launch a full-scale investigation to unmask those behind this malicious publication.
This is the kind of decisive leadership that strengthens institutional integrity and protects officers from media-instigated harassment.
Let it be clear: the public should completely disregard Sahara Reporters’ story. It is concocted, unverified, and crafted purely for sensationalism. Any female officer who may have made any payment based on such false WhatsApp messages is encouraged to step forward and support the ongoing investigation.
Sahara Reporters must be reminded that journalism is not an exercise in fiction or blackmail.
Before hitting the publish button, they are obligated to adhere to the fundamental rules of the profession: verification, fairness, accuracy, and legality.
Relying on WhatsApp gossip is not investigative journalism; it is an irresponsible practice unbecoming of any platform that claims credibility.
The Nigeria Police Force deserves constructive criticism when necessary, but it equally deserves protection from malicious misinformation.
It is time Sahara Reporters rose above reckless sensationalism and embraced the ethics that define true journalism.
Adewole Kehinde is a public affairs analyst based in Abuja. kennyadewole@gmail.com @kennyadewole
