The Federal Government has disclosed that Google, LinkedIn and TikTok removed over 28 million Nigerian accounts in 2024. This is part of their efforts to tackle online fraud, impersonation and harmful content in Nigeria.
The crackdown was championed by a collaboration between the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and social media platforms.
According to the NITDA Director General, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, the action is aimed at reducing fraud and improving crisis management. The DG disclosed this during the National Symposium on Digital Innovation in Crisis Communication at the National Defence College, Abuja.
Aside from removing more than 28 million accounts, 58.9 million pieces of content were also removed during the period.
Google alone deactivated 9,680,141 accounts linked to scams, identity fraud and harmful material, while LinkedIn removed almost 16 million accounts.
TikTok also took enforcement actions against millions of accounts in its content moderation policies.
However, the DG expressed concern over LinkedIn’s numbers amid its professional outlook. He noted that this highlights the extent to which the social media space has become polluted with various fraudulent practices and misuse.
“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 added.
While 58.9 million pieces of content were removed across the platforms within the same period, 420,000 posts were reinstated after complaints or internal reviews.
Abdullahi stressed that if the account or content isn’t violating any law, there’s no need to pull it down. He said that there’s an agreed process for both take-downs and reinstatements to prevent abuse by governments or strong interests.
In addition, the NITDA Boss mentioned that the government’s cooperation with big tech companies has strengthened communication channels and supported regulatory frameworks such as Nigeria’s Data Protection Regulation, which led to the creation of the Nigerian Data Protection Commission.
Also Read: Nigeria holds rates at 27% to cement inflation wins
Efforts to curb online fraud, harmful content and misinformation
In the 2024 Nigeria compliance report for digital safety, over 13 million social media accounts were deleted across various platforms.
While Nigerians filed 754,629 complaints across social media platforms, 58,909,122 pieces of content were removed due to negative and abusive content. Following appeals by users and reviews, 420,439 of the previously removed contents were re-uploaded.
As the crackdown intensifies, with collaboration from social media platforms, the NITDA Boss explained how emerging digital tools are reshaping crisis response and why stronger national systems are now essential.
According to him, research consistently shows that false news spreads almost six times faster than verified information, a trend that has led to the rise of fraudulent activities and economic disruptions.
Abdullahi also cited recent incidents where misleading posts triggered significant losses, further reinforcing the need for rapid verification and coordinated intervention.
In the 2023 compliance report, a total of 65,853,581 pieces of content were taken down across Google, X (formerly Twitter), Microsoft, and TikTok following users’ complaints. It also saw 4,125,283 complaints lodged by Nigerian users regarding harmful content.
Leave a comment and follow us on social media for more tips:
- Facebook: Today Africa
- Instagram: Today Africa
- Twitter: Today Africa
- LinkedIn: Today Africa
- YouTube: Today Africa Studio
