Kano Police Say Man Who Posed as Barau’s Father in Viral Video Was Paid N1,000
By Ahmad Tijjani Abdul
KANO — The Kano State Police Command on Friday declared that an elderly man in a viral video that posed as the biological father of the Deputy President of the Senate, Sen. Barau I Jibrin was paid N1,000 to play the role.
The video, which circulated widely across social media, showed the elderly man looking frail, hungry and unkempt as he claimed that Senator Barau had neglected him and failed to cater for his needs.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, CSP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa in a video he shared on his verified Facebook page noted that the emotional portrayal was allegedly staged with the criminal intent to defame the Deputy President of the Senate.
Kiyawa disclosed that the Command has arrested a young man suspected of arranging the video who allegedly hired the elderly man to falsely present himself as Senator Barau’s biological father as part of an attempt to tarnish the lawmaker’s reputation.
The elderly man, according to the police admitted during interrogation that he was given N1,000 to participate in the production and make the claims contained in the video.
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, said the suspects had regretted their actions during interrogation but warned that the Command would not treat the matter lightly.
He said the police would “visit the full wrath of the law” on those responsible, stressing that the action was necessary to deter others from using social media to spread content capable of damaging another person’s reputation.
Kiyawa said investigation was still ongoing and assured that the suspects would be taken before a court once the process was concluded.
The Command also cautioned members of the public against believing or circulating sensational social media content without first establishing its authenticity, particularly when such material is capable of causing reputational harm.