The senator said he realised the story was fake when he "made efforts to investigate further and offer any forms of assistance" to the supposed victims of the 'tragic accident'.
A Nigerian senator, hoodwinked by a fake photo of a road accident, vowed to ensure the "speedy completion" of a dilapidated federal highway on which the peddlers of the fake photo claimed the accident occurred.
The photo, shared on Facebook on Friday, depicts an accident scene where a container fell on a passenger bus.
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Facebook users who shared the photo said the accident happened along Calabar-Itu Highway, a dilapidated road meant to connect the two southern states of Akwa Ibom and Cross River. They claimed that the accident killed 17 people.
The Calabar-Itu Highway has remained dilapidated for decades and sometimes almost impassable despite successive administrations' promises to fix it.
'Deeply saddened'
The senator, Asuquo Ekpenyong, representing Cross River South District, issued a statement on Friday, 4 July, saying he was "deeply saddened" by the "tragic accident".
The senator's statement was published on his Facebook page.
"My thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of the victims during this moment of grief. I also extend sincere sympathies to those who sustained injuries and are currently receiving medical attention. May God grant them healing, strength, and comfort," Mr Ekpenyong stated.
"This painful event is yet another reminder of the long-standing infrastructural decay of the Calabar-Itu Road, a major corridor between Cross River and Akwa Ibom States that continues to endanger lives.
"In response, I will intensify another round of legislative and oversight efforts to ensure the speedy completion of key sections of this highway. I will engage directly with the Federal Ministry of Works and the contractors handling the project to ensure timelines are met and safety standards are upheld.
"No family should have to suffer this kind of loss because of failed infrastructure. We owe it to the victims and to all Nigerians to make our roads safer," the senator added.
The next day, 5 July, Senator Ekpenyong informed the public, through another statement, that the news of the road accident was fake.
He said, "Several news organisations such as Daily Post, CrossRiverWatch carried the story, including pictures of the alleged accident."
He said he realised the story was fake when he "made efforts to investigate further and offer any forms of assistance" to the supposed victims.
"It is unsettling to see how easily misinformation can spread and its attendant negative consequences.
"While we are immensely grateful to God Almighty that no lives were lost, we do not take such matters lightly. The thought of losing 17 lives was deeply distressing, and I must admit I was distraught upon encountering the report online yesterday," said the senator, who still vowed that he would get the federal government and the contractors to complete the rehabilitation of the Calabar-Itu Highway "within timelines".
FRSC speaks
The Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) in Cross River, Innocent Etuk, told PREMIUM TIMES, Sunday, that immediately his attention was drawn to the photos on Facebook, he sent officials of the commission to the Calabar-Itu Highway, He said they came back with a report that there was no such incident.
"I had to call the sector commander in Akwa Ibom... There was nothing like that," Mr Innocent said, adding that the photo was first published in 2016.
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He said he would take up the matter with the Nigeria Union of Journalists.
PREMIUM TIMES did a Google reverse image search on the photograph. The search shows that the photograph first appeared on Nairaland on 5 July 2016, although it was used alongside other seemingly unrelated photographs. The photograph was re-shared on Facebook on 29 November 2019.
The Editor of Daily Post, Emmanuel Ugwueze, spoke to PREMIUM TIMES, Monday, about the story, which is still up on the paper's website.
"We have just discovered our correspondent could not authenticate the report," Mr Ugwueze said. "We have commenced disciplinary proceedings against the reporter."
The story is still up on the CrossRiverWatch website as of 7 July. The paper's News Editor, Patrick Obia, said they were "digging into" the matter.
