The publication with the headline "Girl captured in viral sex video with dog dies of infection," according to the Lagos State Police Command, is a hoax.
SP Benjamin Hundeyin, the Command's Spokesperson, revealed the fake news in a statement released on Friday in Lagos.
"The Lagos State Police Command's attention has been directed to this publication, which is dated May 10, 2022, and credited to one Kayode Ajiboye of Independent Newspapers," Hundeyin added.
"Because this is in the middle of a police investigation, the Command sought out to the author of this article for information that would assist the cops in their investigation.
Surprisingly, the author stated he had no way of verifying the tale and had merely copied it from an online blog.
"In accordance with basic journalism standards, the author failed to attribute the news's original source (plagiarism)."
"He also took no attempt to fact-check the story, putting himself vulnerable to the dissemination of fake news, especially given the critical and sensitive nature of the facts in the case."
"It is the responsibility of every Nigerian to assist the police in any current investigation; publishing false information with the goal to deceive the public is illegal.
Subverting criminal investigations and obstructing police officers in the performance of their responsibilities are also illegal, he noted.
According to the spokesperson, the Command provides an update to Nigerians and assures them that the ongoing investigation has been re-focused appropriately, in keeping with its commitment to transparency.
He stated that the Command invites anyone with relevant information on the subject to contact the police through any of their accessible communication channels.