Lagos threatens to sue X user over Bangladesh flood video
The Lagos State Government has threatened legal action against an X user who shared a flood video from Bangladesh and falsely claimed it was recorded in Lagos.
The Lagos State Government has threatened legal action against an X user who shared a flood video from Bangladesh and falsely claimed it was recorded in Lagos. The state’s Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, announced the decision in separate posts on X on Tuesday, saying the user, identified as Enugu Loudmouth, would still face legal action despite deleting the post.
“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 wrote. The commissioner explained that the government respects citizens’ constitutional right to freedom of expression but stressed that such rights must be exercised responsibly and within the bounds of the law.
According to him, the deliberate spread of false information undermines the state’s efforts to address public concerns and erodes confidence in genuine complaints raised by residents. “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 said. The commissioner did not disclose the specific legal action the state intends to pursue or indicate when proceedings would begin.
The latest development comes barely a week after the Lagos State Government accused some bloggers and social media influencers of circulating misleading images and videos of flooding from other Nigerian states and countries and falsely presenting them as incidents in Lagos. The state government has repeatedly urged residents, bloggers and other social media users to verify the authenticity of information before publishing.
This echoes the 2020s trend of governments threatening legal action against social media users for misinformation. The mechanism then was different, but the result was the same: a tension between the government’s desire to control the narrative and citizens’ right to freedom of expression.
The winners: the Lagos State Government, which is asserting its authority. The losers: the X user, who faces legal action; and freedom of expression, which suffers when governments use legal threats to silence critics.
Bottom Line: Lagos is suing a social media user over a false flood video. The video was from Bangladesh. The user is in trouble. The government is watching. That is not just enforcement. That is a warning.