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.
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