Nigeria’s digital regulators have raised fresh concerns after more than 28 million social media and online accounts were deactivated for fraud, impersonation, harmful content and policy violations within one year.
NITDA Director-General, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, disclosed the figures at a symposium on digital crisis communication in Abuja, noting that professional platforms were increasingly becoming targets for criminals.
According to him, LinkedIn alone disabled nearly 16 million accounts, many linked to impersonation and sophisticated social-engineering attacks.
Google followed with 9.68 million accounts removed for scams, harmful content and coordinated fraudulent behaviour, while TikTok recorded millions more.
Abdullahi said the surge underscores a “worrying exploitation of professional identities,” warning that fraudsters now use trusted platforms to target organisations, employees and vulnerable users.
He revealed that collaboration between the Federal Government and global tech firms has strengthened content moderation, resulting in the removal of 58.9 million harmful posts, with **420,000 reinstated after appeals.
The NITDA boss called for a more transparent global takedown protocol that protects free expression while swiftly eliminating content that violates Nigerian laws.
Information Minister Mohammed Idris, represented by VON DG Jibrin Ndace, said emerging technologies must improve crisis reporting without endangering national security.
Security expert Major General Chris Olukolade (Rtd) added that real-time threats now require real-time response tools, including AI-driven early-warning systems.
