₦airaland Forum

The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency, Kashifu Abdullahi, on Monday said three major technology platforms deactivated more than 28 million accounts linked to fraud, impersonation and harmful content in the last one year.

According to him, Google alone deactivated 9,680,141 accounts used for online fraud, impersonation and the propagation of harmful content, while LinkedIn removed almost 16 million accounts.

He added that TikTok carried out similar actions.

Speaking during a symposium on digital innovations in crisis communication organised by the Centre for Crisis Communication, Abdullahi described LinkedIn’s figures as “outrageous,” noting that the platform, although designed for professionals, has increasingly been exploited for impersonation and other crimes.

He said, “So within last year, we have these platforms submitting their annual report. Just three platforms — Google, LinkedIn and TikTok — deactivated over 28 million accounts.

“Google deactivated 9,680,141 accounts used for different online frauds, impersonation, propagating harmful content and so on. We have LinkedIn removing almost 16 million.

“For me, this is outrageous because LinkedIn is mostly a professional site. So why are people using it to cause crises and other things? They use it for impersonation and for social engineering to defraud organisations and individuals.”

He said the suspensions followed ongoing collaboration between the Federal Government and global technology companies to curb online harms and improve crisis management.

Abdullahi added that more than 58.9 million pieces of content were removed across the platforms within the same period, while 420,000 posts were reinstated after appeals or internal reviews.

“Over 58,909,000 contents were removed last year through our relationship with these big techs, and 420,000 contents were reinstated — some after complaints, some after their own internal review,” he said.

The NITDA DG stressed the need for a clear, agreed take-down and reinstatement process to prevent abuse by governments or other powerful groups, while ensuring that genuinely harmful content is swiftly removed.

“If content is not violating any laws in Nigeria, there is no way we can just say take it down,” he said, adding that minority voices must also be protected through a reinstatement mechanism.

Abdullahi said the government’s work with big tech companies has improved communication channels and supported initiatives such as Nigeria’s Data Protection Regulation, which led to the establishment of the Nigerian Data Protection Commission.

The PUNCH reports that over the past decade, social media platforms have become central to communication but also to the spread of false information, extremist propaganda and scams targeting individuals, organisations and government institutions.

The Federal Government, through agencies like NITDA, the Nigerian Communications Commission and now the Nigerian Data Protection Commission, has been engaging with global tech companies to enforce local regulations that protect users and ensure national security without stifling free expression.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, stressed that emerging technologies must be leveraged to transform crisis communication in ways that protect public safety and uphold national security.

According to remarks delivered on his behalf by the Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria, Jibrin Ndace, the Minister noted that while technology introduces vast opportunities, it equally presents serious challenges that can undermine stability if left unregulated.

“It is not only the insecurity that we battle, but also the narrative that frames the insecurity,” the minister noted, adding that the way these issues are reported carries significant impact.

The Chairman of the Centre for Crisis Communication, retired Major General Chris Olukolade, said crisis communication is no longer a supportive function but a strategic national security asset, warning that modern crises now unfold in real time and demand equally rapid and reliable communication responses.

He noted that digital platforms have significantly reshaped how emergencies evolve and how institutions must respond.

According to him, the survival of affected populations increasingly depends on rapid access to verified information, institutional coordination and public response speed.

PapaNnamdi:
My 2 linked in account wey I take de make money through adds was deleted too,

God punish yahoo ppl anywhere Dem dey

inoki247:
Nigerians Making life hard for each other...


And people cry everyday Tech job is so hard to get...


People always comes with the Theory the Politicians caused it like the Politicians are from Mars...


The citizens are not different from the politicians...


If the Politicians are the problem why do our citizens that finally Japa successfully still engaged in Fraud or selling drugs after having access to different economy, different policies and different politicians....

tesseract:
Why don't you speak for yourself? You can choose to equate yourself to a bloodthirsty, thieving and lying politician, that's your problem, don't come here and rope everyone in Nigeria into it.

SlavaUkraini:
Innocent Nigerians are paying for the sins of Yahoo Boys

inoki247:
Lol I love your tears....


All the biggest fraud that's been done by Nigerian citizens were all carried out outside even the biggest drug sales....


You guys hate the truth...

If our problem is the politicians why are people having access to more social amenities, infrastructure. Why not change there orientation and not spoil chances for others with genuine reasons...


The citizens have to change. If the citizens are not ready to change it will still be same circle from the citizens to the politicians..

givedemwotowoto:
But we can’t find those 150 Agbadorian Amaechi laptop boys posing as 150,000 Nigerians on nairaland? Flooding the comment section of every post, and giving their comments hundreds of likes?

NairaX:
So basically… 28 million Nigerians were catfishing, scamming, pretending and impersonating their way across the entire internet — and these are just the ones that got caught.

LinkedIn we expected professionalism; Nigerians said “hold my beer.”
Google thought we’d behave; Nigerians said “watch this Yahoo Szn.”
TikTok expected dances; Nigerians said “419 choreography.”

At this point, the global tech giants aren’t moderating Nigeria — they’re fighting for their lives.

And honestly, this is why I built Naira-X differently.
If someone even attempts nonsense there, the system will detect the vibes before they finish typing “Hello dear.”

Because if we leave it to Nigerians, they’ll impersonate you, your cousin, your pastor, and your BVN — in one afternoon.

NairaX:
So basically… 28 million Nigerians were catfishing, scamming, pretending and impersonating their way across the entire internet — and these are just the ones that got caught.

LinkedIn we expected professionalism; Nigerians said “hold my beer.”
Google thought we’d behave; Nigerians said “watch this Yahoo Szn.”
TikTok expected dances; Nigerians said “419 choreography.”

At this point, the global tech giants aren’t moderating Nigeria — they’re fighting for their lives.

And honestly, this is why I built Naira-X differently.
If someone even attempts nonsense there, the system will detect the vibes before they finish typing “Hello dear.”

Because if we leave it to Nigerians, they’ll impersonate you, your cousin, your pastor, and your BVN — in one afternoon.

Joesno:
Y u go get 2 LinkedIn accounts? Na there ur problem start.

Joesno:
Y u go get 2 LinkedIn accounts? Na there ur problem start.

femi4:
You need more than one account especially if some academical background would be a disadvantage in getting your next job.

The market is saturated, you have to be intentional and strategic

inoki247:
Lol I love your tears....


All the biggest fraud that's been done by Nigerian citizens were all carried out outside even the biggest drug sales....


You guys hate the truth...
If our problem is the politicians why are people having access to more social amenities, infrastructure. Why not change there orientation and not spoil chances for others with genuine reasons...
The citizens have to change. If the citizens are not ready to change it will still be same circle from the citizens to the politicians..

Stephen0mozzy:
Normally, LinkedIn dey frown against such and once them know, them dey ban the accounts.

DrAda:
Was this written by ChatGPT? I am only asking because I detected some phrases and sentences that can only come from the LLM. Let's not forget the signature dashes as well