President Muhammadu Buhari’s aide on Social Media, Lauretta Onochie has been nabbed peddling fake news on Nigerian social media.
Onochie, tweeting via her verified handle @Laurestar shared photographs of a Nasarawa-Jos road construction project purportedly done by the Muhammadu Buhari administration.
However, the images posted by Onochie were images from a foreign construction project lifted from iStock photos.
Smart Nigerians on social media busted Onochie, pointing out the fraudulence in her tweet.
The development generated a firestorm on Twitter Nigeria with many commentators berating the Buhari administration and its handlers for weaponising fake news as a tool of propaganda.
Take a look at some tweets below:
From Kemi Adeosun to Lauretta Onochie, FEAR Women in Buhari’s Government, some of them are Hardened criminals. pic.twitter.com/Agk5W2iGrz
— Mr Stanley Nwabia (@MrStanleyNwabia) September 21, 2018
How to spot what’s real and what’s fake in the wake of the Lauretta Onochie led BMC propaganda machine, is left to the Almighty God to guide us. pic.twitter.com/V4ZFBVQBUL
— Mazi Donald (@DonaldSpeakz) September 20, 2018
My fellow Nigerians,
I give to you the social media aide to President Buhari; Lauretta Onochie @laurestar
She stole a fake photo from Google stock images, have her boys edit it, tweeted it & claimed Buhari is doing Nasarrawa – Jos road.
We bursted her!
Buhari people how far? pic.twitter.com/3GcyrAzUNn
— Bródà Ayo???????? (@sovereignayo) September 21, 2018
Lia Mohammed has spent millions campaigning against fake news meanwhile inside the presidency is the Don of fake news, Lauretta Onochie. Stop wasting our money on useless projects, Lia.
Can’t believe a presidential aide with a verified account has no facts & figures on this govt pic.twitter.com/xDINdtDX9F
— May Ubeku (@Maybeks) September 21, 2018
This is to call the attention of i Stock Photos by Getty Images @iStock
A top Nigerian government official known as Lauretta Onochie @Laurestar has used one of your pictures in her tweet for false purposess
Pls confirm if she bought the picture or she stole it
Details below???? pic.twitter.com/quJgbJt098
— Bródà Ayo???????? (@sovereignayo) September 21, 2018
I’ll join the wailers to demand for the sack of Lauretta Onochie.
This is incompetence at it’s peak.
What a disgrace. pic.twitter.com/Q1cLoP1J7r— Olubunmi David (@iam_oludavid) September 21, 2018
The SA to President Buhari on social media, Lauretta Onochie used fake picture to tweet.
“Nasarawa- Jos road Buhari AGAIN!!!”
The whole aim of this Lifeless govt is to keep the populace sweetened with information on endless series of projects, 99.99% of them are imaginary. ???? pic.twitter.com/nCU3kJ8pIm
— Adetutu Balogun (@Tutsy22) September 20, 2018
2019 will be really interesting. Propaganda pic.twitter.com/KDJEoat74F
— Ayobami (@dondekojo) September 20, 2018
Following intense social media backlash, Onochie deleted the embarrassing tweet and apologised for misleading the public.
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