By Zailani Bappa
It has come to the attention of Zamfara state Government a story carried by Sahara reporters on a certain report of a repentant bandit divulging the reasons of his decision to take up arms. However, the picture accompanying this story is that of His Excellency Governor Bello Mohammed and Hon Rabiu Abubakar aka Emir.
Hon. Abubakar is a prominent APC member and a strong pillar of the Kabiru Garba Marafa camp who decided to decamp and join the PDP in total support of Governor Bello Mohammed’s administration. He formally presented himself to the Governor two days ago and that is when this picture was taken.
Significantly, no picture of this event was taken except that of the Director-General on New Media to the Governor which is the picture used by the Sahara Reporters and indeed, by anyone else. Meanwhile, this picture also released with a caption (as in this screen shot) and therefore, in no doubt of its description, identity and purpose.
It is therefore, evident that Sahara Reporters presented Hon. Rabiu as a repentant bandit either intentionally out of connived mischief or out of manifest quackery of not having the capacity to authenticate any piece of garbage presented to its editors as news. Either way, it speaks foul of this medium.
The Sahara Reporters have done similar questionable presentations against the Zamfara State Government twice in the recent past. This is increasingly making us lose confidence in this medium as all its false stories against Zamfara State government are carried without balancing any from us.
We therefore call on the General public to disregard this latest false information and further try to confirm from alternative sources any story they come across regarding Zamfara state Government carried by Sahara Reporters
