Fake News, Disinformation Fueled 2020 #EndSARS Protests – Lai Mohammed

Fake News, Disinformation Fueled 2020 #EndSARS Protests – Lai Mohammed

Former Minister of Information and Culture under the late President Muhammadu Buhari, Lai Mohammed, has said the October 2020 #EndSARS protests were driven more by fake news and disinformation than by any shortcomings in government communication.

His remarks were contained in a statement issued to Peoples Gazette on Sunday by his media aide, Nnamdi Atupulazi, following a high-level forum at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), where he spoke on governance, media responsibility, and crisis communication.

The #EndSARS protests began in October 2020 as a youth-led movement demanding the end of police brutality in Nigeria, particularly against the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). The demonstrations quickly spread across major cities and gained global attention, becoming one of the most significant civic movements in Nigeria’s recent history.

According to Lai Mohammed, while the protests initially reflected genuine public anger, they were later “hijacked” and escalated by the spread of misinformation, unverified reports, and doctored content across both social media and traditional media platforms.

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“The problem we had was not the usual communication gap between the government and the citizens. It was fake news and disinformation, coupled with unbridled violence,” he said.

He also alleged that some foreign media outlets amplified tensions by relying on unverified or misleading content, which he said contributed to a distorted global perception of events during the protests.

“What we saw during #EndSARS was the dangerous power of disinformation in real time,” he noted, adding that it highlights the need for stronger fact-checking systems, media accountability, and information regulation frameworks.

The former minister further stated that the experience underscored the growing global challenge of information disorder, especially during crises.

In the same address, Mohammed also referenced Nigeria’s communication response during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying the government had to develop its strategy from scratch due to the absence of a recent global precedent.

“When COVID-19 broke out, there was no template to fall back on. So we had to devise our own communication strategy on the go,” he said.

He explained that the administration adopted daily briefings, multi-platform messaging, and engagement with media outlets to ensure widespread dissemination of public health information. He added that materials were translated into major Nigerian languages and Pidgin English to improve public understanding.

The event at LSE formed part of his speaking tour in the United Kingdom, where he also discussed governance communication and leadership, anchored on his memoir, “Headlines & Soundbites: Media Moments That Defined an Administration,” which documents his time as government spokesperson from 2015 to 2023.

The comments are likely to reignite debate around the causes and handling of the #EndSARS protests, which remain a sensitive subject in Nigeria’s political and civic discourse.

Fake News, Disinformation Fueled 2020 #EndSARS Protests – Lai Mohammed