Police Arrest 24-Year-Old for Spreading Fake Abuja Terror Video; FCT Command Debunks Viral Alerts and Vows to Jail ‘Cyber-Terrorists’ Creating False Alarms

The FCT Police Command has “flipped the script” on a viral wave of fear that briefly paralyzed parts of the nation’s capital this week. Authorities announced the arrest of a young man accused of being the mastermind behind a fake terror alert that went viral across Nigeria. The “Solution” to the rising public anxiety was a swift fact-check and a high-profile arrest, proving that the “digital trenches” of social media can no longer be used as a playground for incitement without consequences.

The “Tsunami” of panic began when a 1-minute video showing explosions and gunfire—allegedly at a popular Abuja mall, started circulating in the early hours of Thursday. However, “Renewed Hope” for order was restored when forensic experts from the police Force Intelligence Department identified the footage as being years old and from a conflict outside Nigeria. The 24-year-old suspect, Samson O., was tracked to his hideout in the Gwarinpa area of Abuja, where devices used to edit and upload the “Drill or Drop” fake news were recovered.

Commissioner of Police Bennett Igweh described the suspect’s actions as “criminal and heartless,” noting that such fake alerts put unnecessary pressure on security resources and could cause real-life stampedes. “We are not ‘tinkering’ with the law on this one. If you create fear where there is none, you will face the full weight of the Cybercrime Act,” Igweh stated during a press briefing at the Command Headquarters.

As Abuja residents return to their normal routines, the police have urged the public to rely only on official channels for security updates. While the U.S. Embassy remains on a voluntary departure status, the local police insist that the specific “terror videos” currently trending are nothing but “malicious fabrications.” For the 24-year-old now in custody, the message is clear: the quest for “clout” and “viral shares” has officially led to a prison cell.