Lai Mohammed denies Buhari’s US visit, says news is fake

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said that the news being circulated via a parody Twitter account, claiming that President Muhammadu Buhari is travelling or has travelled to the US is fake.

In a statement issued in Lagos on Sunday signed by the Special Adviser to the Minister, Mr Segun Adeyemi, Mohammed urged Nigerians to disregard the news.

The Minister said one of the numerous parody Twitter accounts in his name — “@MohammedLai”, was used to disseminate the fake and ludicrous news that claimed that President Buhari was due to leave Nigeria for the U.S. on Monday “to condole with President Donald Trump over the floods in Houston”.

Mohammed also said that an old NTA News video was being circulated on social media, claiming that President Buhari had already left for the UN General Assembly in New York.

“This is a 2015 NTA News video that was repackaged to look current, and to give the impression that the President left Daura, where he is celebrating Eid el-Kabir, directly for New York.”

He advised Nigerians to disregard any news credited to any account in his name either on Twitter or Facebook.

“Numerous parody accounts have been opened in my name on the two platforms, when indeed I have no Twitter or Facebook account.”