By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
The Nigeria Police Force has responded to a viral video circulating widely on WhatsApp and social media, showing a school-aged girl smoking what appears to be cannabis while being cheered on by her peers.
Contrary to widespread claims, police say the footage did not originate in Nigeria.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, clarified that preliminary investigations have found “multiple indicators pointing towards the video’s likely origin being in Zimbabwe.”
The statement read, “The attention of the Nigeria Police Force has been drawn to a deeply concerning video currently circulating on WhatsApp and other social media platforms, depicting a school-aged girl smoking what appears to be cannabis, surrounded and cheered on by her classmates.
“The video, which has sparked outrage among Nigerian parents and educators, was initially believed to depict students in a Nigerian school, raising fears about rising indiscipline and drug abuse among youths.”
However, the police say linguistic evidence proves otherwise.
“Individuals featured are heard speaking in both English and Shona, the latter being a language predominantly spoken in Zimbabwe and parts of southern Africa.
“Critically, no Nigerian languages or discernable Nigerian accents are present in the audio,” the statement said.
Further evidence came from digital footprints linked to the video’s dissemination.
The original upload, according to the police, “was accompanied by a caption written in Shona, with its initial posting on the Instagram channel @rusape_celebs_tv, a channel which is demonstrably based in the town of Rusape, Zimbabwe.”
In light of the findings, the Nigeria Police Force urged the public to refrain from sharing unverified content.
The statement warned that doing so “carries the potential to negatively impact individuals, organisations, and entire communities.”
“We urge the public to exercise caution when sharing unverified information, particularly when it involves sensitive content,” Adejobi said.