Nigeria, April 13 -- The media team of the Sultan of Sokoto has dismissed as false a viral image circulating on social media which shows Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, in a posture of worship before the Sultan, describing it as a fabricated attempt to inflame religious and ethnic tensions.

Bashir Adefaka, in a statement on behalf of the media team on Sunday, said the image was "fake, likely AI-generated, and deliberately crafted to misinform the public," warning that it was a "mischievous and dangerous attempt" to drag the Sultan into unrelated political controversies.

The rebuttal follows widespread circulation of the image across Facebook, WhatsApp and other platforms, where it was accompanied by claims suggesting religious bias...