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Residents of Buruku can breathe a sigh of relief tonight as local youth have firmly dismissed circulating rumours that a boat engine went missing yesterday at the popular Riverside Crossing Point.
The rumour, which spread rapidly across social media and WhatsApp groups on Saturday 7th December 2025, claimed that an outboard engine had been stolen or mysteriously disappeared, sparking tension and accusations among boat operators and passengers who frequent the busy river crossing.
By Sunday evening, tempers had flared visibly at the riverside, with groups of young men openly expressing frustration and suspicion. The situation threatened to escalate until community members stepped in to clarify the facts.
In a video that has since gone viral, a youth leader from the area addressed the gathering directly at the waterfront, explaining that there was never any missing engine. According to him, a minor disagreement between two boat operators over maintenance and temporary relocation of an engine for repairs had been blown out of proportion and misrepresented online.
“No engine was lost, no engine was stolen,” he stated emphatically. “What happened was a small issue between two of our brothers here. One took his engine for repairs and someone started spreading false information. We have settled it among ourselves.”
The clarification has been widely welcomed, with many residents expressing disappointment at how quickly falsehoods spread and nearly caused unrest in the close-knit community.
The Riverside Crossing Point remains a vital transportation link for people travelling between several communities in Buruku Local Government Area, and incidents — real or perceived — at the waterfront often attract immediate attention.
Tonight, normalcy has returned. Boats are running as usual, and the youth have urged everyone to verify information before sharing, warning that fake news about security or theft can easily trigger panic and division.
Another quiet reminder that in the age of instant messaging, not every storm on the timeline is a storm in real life.
