By joshua 
Nigerians have been advised to always verify every piece of news before sharing as a way to reducing the spread of misinformation that is on the rise due to the popularity of the internet and social media.
The Editor in Chief/Publisher of the Nigerianpost Newspaper, Mr Abu Micheal gave the charge at episode 7 of Grace FM, 95.5 radio program with the
topic: how misinformation contributes to violence and violent extremism, urged Nigerians to cultivate the habit of discussing with family and friends how spreading fake news can incite violence and violent extremism in the community.
The radio program My neighbor, my friend is sponsored by Community Initiative to Promote Peace (CIPP) project in partnership with Savannah Centre for Diplomacy Democracy and Development, Pastoral Resolve (PARE) and Africa Radio and Drama Association (ARDA) with support from Mercy Corps Nigeria, is designed to mitigate violent conflict in at-risk communities
Mr Abu defined misinformation ad simply false, inaccurate, or misleading information that is intended to deceive people, cause doubt, or trigger disputes or confusion among community members.
He added that misinformation can be in the form of fake news, hate speech, or rumour, explained that It can be spread online via social media or in the community via gossip, rumours, and spreading unverified information.
While stating that misinformation Contributes to Violence and Violence Extremism, Fake news, hate speech and rumour causes hatred, fear, and anger among community members Mr. Abu maintained can trigger violent outbreaks in the community, increase tension in a community and can trigger hatred, violent reactions, and retaliations in the community.
Mr. Abu revealed that misinformation can also cause young people to become radicalized and join violent extremist groups because they are led astray by those who teach wrong religious beliefs and spread religious and ethnic tensions, says spreading lies and damaging stories of fake pictures of women as a form of revenge is another form of violence.
Mr. Abu observed that be with the advent of the social media, makes it easier for people to spread misinformation to a large audience within a short time, charge Don the need to always confirm every information before sharing it.
Mr. Abu disclosed that misinformation has remained a driver of conflict that incites violence in the community, says it can cause tension among coexisting groups and can trigger violent outbreaks among conflicting groups in the community.
Misinformation and fake news according to the Publisher have become ways to attack and justify violence against women, PWDs, and other vulnerable groups, explained that some people on receiving misinformation react violently without thinking about the consequences of their actions and without verifying the news.
The consequences he pointed out has led to the loss of lives, livelihoods, and properties in the community, advised that if community members can resist the manipulations of misinformation by verifying every information they receive before sharing or taking action, it will prevent violence and violent extremism in the community.
As a way to stop the spread of misinformation, Mr. Abu called on every member of the community to embrace the responsibility of stopping the spread of fake news to promote peace and prevent violence in the community, says community members should correct anyone that comes to them with fake news, hate speech, or rumour.
He tasked community members to also avoid sharing unverified news and stories by checking that the source of the news is trustworthy and that it can be verified.