The Aniocha North Local Government Council has dismissed as false and malicious the reports circulating on social media alleging that its Executive Chairman, Hon. Emmanuel Bazim Chinye, was arrested and detained by the police.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by the Chairman’s Special Adviser, Hon. Ndubuisi Osemene, the council described the allegations as “blatant lies from the pit of hell” aimed at tarnishing the chairman’s image.

The statement clarified that Hon. Chinye was out of the country on annual leave and to attend his daughter’s graduation ceremony in Canada when he received a police invitation over a longstanding land dispute in Onicha-Olona, his hometown.

Providing a detailed breakdown of the chairman’s itinerary, the council said Chinye left Nigeria for Canada on May 30, 2025, travelled to London on June 13, and returned to Lagos on June 18. He then visited the police in Abuja on June 23 and 24 in response to the invitation but was never detained.

“It will be recalled that the Executive Chairman left Asaba for Lagos on Wednesday, May 28, and departed for Canada on Friday, May 30. He left Canada for London on Friday, June 13, and returned to Lagos on Wednesday, June 18,” the statement read.

“He left Lagos for Abuja on Sunday, June 22, and visited the police on Monday, June 23, at 11:00 a.m., leaving by 3:47 p.m. He returned on Tuesday, June 24, at 11:00 a.m. and left by 6:37 p.m. at the close of discussions,” it added.

The council also confirmed that the chairman is currently enjoying the final day of his vacation, which officially ends on June 25.

Osemene urged media professionals to verify facts before publication and uphold journalistic ethics, warning that false reports not only mislead the public but also damage reputations.

The council further cautioned social media users and bloggers against publishing defamatory content and vowed to pursue legal redress.

“The Executive Chairman’s legal team has been directed to identify and take legal action against individuals or organisations behind the defamatory publication,” the statement concluded.