Authorities in Gombe State have dismissed claims that prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members were involved in a fatal road accident, describing the reports as false and misleading.
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and the Gombe State Police Command said the viral social media posts alleging that 16 corps members died, with two others critically injured, were untrue.
FRSC Public Relations Officer, Janet Kassa, told newsmen that thorough checks across units and commands revealed no record of such an incident in Gombe.
“I have confirmed with colleagues, and there is no indication that this happened. This appears to be one of those posts intended to create panic or generate online engagement,” she said.
Similarly, DSP Buhari Abdullahi, Public Relations Officer of the Gombe State Police Command, said investigations found no evidence of the reported crash.
“There is no record of any accident involving prospective corps members in Gombe. The reports circulated did not specify a hospital or proper location, which raises suspicion,” he said.
Jennifer Laha, NYSC Gombe Public Relations Officer, also dismissed the circulating images as fabricated.
“From the pictures I have seen, they appear to be AI-generated. Additionally, NYSC does not provide buses to transport prospective corps members to orientation camps,” she said.
The NYSC orientation camp in Gombe has commenced as scheduled, with the swearing-in of prospective corps members set for Friday, November 21.
This is not the first time such misinformation has circulated.
It was reported in January 2025 that a prospective corps member died in a road accident in Ebonyi State, underscoring the need to verify viral reports before sharing.
Authorities have urged the public to disregard the false claims and rely only on official channels for accurate information.
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