The Yobe State Police Command has dismissed as false a viral report claiming that one of its officers, Isah Abubakar, drowned while attempting to rescue a baby from floodwaters in Damaturu.
The command explained that Abubakar, who was attached to the Desert Intervention Squad, Haha Maza, died on August 3, 2026, after falling into a ditch filled with floodwater while riding his bicycle to work.
The clarification followed a social media post which claimed that an officer identified as Albani had lost his life after rescuing a baby who fell into floodwater in Damaturu.
Speaking on the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Dungus Abdulkarim, described the social media account as fabricated and urged members of the public to disregard it.
Abdulkarim said the deceased was travelling to his duty post in the morning when he encountered a flooded section of the route following heavy rainfall the previous night.
He said residents had warned the officer against attempting to cross the flooded area because of a ditch in the vicinity, but he proceeded and subsequently fell into the ditch.
The police spokesman said, “Somebody just crafted that story. The police officer was on his way to the office in the morning, riding a bicycle. There was a large accumulation of water along the route because of the heavy rain.”
He added, “People warned him not to pass through the water because there was a ditch there. He did not listen and went ahead. He fell into the ditch and drowned.”
Abdulkarim expressed surprise at the claim that the officer was rescuing a baby, stressing that there was no such incident surrounding the policeman’s death.
“I don’t know what baby he would be rescuing while riding a bicycle. There is nothing like that. It is not true. Somebody just crafted that story and posted it on Instagram,” he said.
An internal police communication obtained by the newspaper also reportedly confirmed that Abubakar died while on active service at about 6:30am after drowning along the Malumatari–Gujba Road in Damaturu.
The command urged residents to verify information through official channels before sharing unconfirmed reports, particularly those capable of misleading the public about security incidents.
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