‘Yobe policeman didn’t die rescuing baby’

n n

The Yobe State Police Command has debunked viral social media claims that one of its officers, Isah Abubakar, died while rescuing a baby from floodwaters in Damaturu, describing the report as false and fabricated.

n

According to the command, Abubakar drowned on August 3, 2026, after falling into a ditch while riding his bicycle to work following a heavy downpour.

n

The clarification followed a viral Instagram post by a user identified as Patriotic Soja (@Pressman2040), which claimed that a police officer identified as Albani lost his life after rescuing a baby who had fallen into floodwater in Damaturu.

n

The post read in part, “Police Officer Albani lost his life after rescuing a baby who fell into the water in Damaturu, Yobe State.”

n

However, when contacted by Saturday PUNCH, the Police Public Relations Officer for the Yobe State Police Command, Dungus Abdulkarim, dismissed the claim as entirely false.

n

Abdulkarim said, “Somebody just crafted that story. The police officer was on his way to the office in the morning, riding a bicycle. The previous night, there was heavy rain, so there was a large accumulation of water along the route he took.

n

“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.

n

“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, and you see people start using it as a news story. Please disregard it.”

n

An internal police signal obtained by Saturday PUNCH also confirmed the officer’s death while on active service.

n

The signal stated that Abubakar, attached to the Desert Intervention Squad, Haha Maza, died at about 6:30am after drowning along the Malumatari–Gujba Road in Damaturu while returning from duty.

n

The command urged members of the public to disregard the viral narrative and verify information through official sources before sharing it.

n n