The management of Babcock University, Ilisan-Remo, Ogun State, on Thursday debunked reports of a fire incident on its campus, describing the claim as false and a product of “depraved, artificial intelligence–generated misinformation.”
The university also dismissed claims that it had indefinitely postponed the resumption of its second semester over the alleged incident, insisting that students are expected to resume as scheduled on Monday, January 12, 2026, in line with the institution’s academic calendar.
The Associate Vice President, Communications, Media and Branding, Dr Johnson Akintayo, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists on Thursday.
Akintayo said the attention of the university was drawn to a misleading social media post containing an AI-generated image purporting to show a fire outbreak on the campus.
According to him, the publication falsely alleged that the university had postponed the resumption of the second semester of the 2025/2026 academic session due to the purported fire incident.
He said, “The University categorically condemns this depraved publication as a complete mischief and falsehood, deliberately crafted to mislead and misinform our students, their parents/guardians, and the general public.
“The University wishes to reiterate that it operates well-defined, credible, and verifiable official channels of communication through which information is disseminated to students, parents, staff, and the general public.
“The University does not communicate official decisions through anonymous or unofficial platforms.”
Akintayo stressed that the resumption date earlier communicated to students before the first semester holiday, as clearly stated in the university’s current academic calendar, remains unchanged.
“Students and their parents/guardians are therefore advised to entirely disregard the fabricated story circulating online, as it has no basis in truth or reality,” he added.
He further clarified that there was no fire incident anywhere on the university’s campuses.
“For the avoidance of doubt, there was no fire incident, and there is no fire incident whatsoever in any of the campuses of Babcock University.
“The University’s campuses are safe, secure, and fully prepared to receive students as scheduled from Monday, January 12, through Wednesday, January 14, 2026,” the statement read.
The university cautioned purveyors of misinformation to desist from fabricating and spreading unfounded and malicious claims, while advising members of the public to rely solely on official university communication channels for accurate information.
It added that “Babcock University remains one of the most secure and proactive universities in Nigeria and will continue to act at all times in the best interests of its students, parents, staff, and the general public.”
