The Federal Government has announced that Google, LinkedIn, and TikTok collectively removed over 28 million Nigerian accounts in 2024. This significant action is part of ongoing efforts to combat online fraud, impersonation, and harmful content within Nigeria. The crackdown has been a collaborative initiative between the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the social media platforms.
Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, the Director General of NITDA, stated during the National Symposium on Digital Innovation in Crisis Communication at the National Defence College, Abuja, that these measures are designed to reduce fraud and enhance crisis management. In addition to the account removals, 58.9 million pieces of content were also taken down during the same period.
Breaking down the figures, Google alone deactivated 9,680,141 accounts associated with scams, identity fraud, and harmful material. LinkedIn reported the removal of nearly 16 million accounts, while TikTok also implemented enforcement actions against millions of accounts as part of its content moderation policies.
Despite the overall success, the NITDA Director General expressed concern regarding the substantial number of removals from LinkedIn, given its professional orientation. He highlighted that this indicates the extent to which the social media landscape has become contaminated with 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.
Across all platforms, 58.9 million pieces of content were removed within the specified period. However, 420,000 of these posts were reinstated following complaints or internal reviews.
Abdullahi emphasized that content is only removed if it violates legal statutes. He assured that a structured process is in place for both content takedowns and reinstatements to prevent potential abuse by governmental bodies or influential entities.
Furthermore, the NITDA Director General noted that the government's engagement with major technology companies has fostered stronger communication channels and bolstered regulatory frameworks. This collaboration has been instrumental in supporting regulations like Nigeria’s Data Protection Regulation, which subsequently led to the establishment of the Nigerian Data Protection Commission.
Intensified Efforts to Combat Online Fraud and Harmful Content
The 2024 Nigeria compliance report for digital safety detailed the removal of over 13 million social media accounts across various platforms.
During this period, Nigerian users submitted 754,629 complaints across social media platforms. Consequently, 58,909,122 pieces of content were removed due to negative and abusive material. Following user appeals and internal reviews, 420,439 of the previously removed content items were re-uploaded.
As these crackdowns continue with the support of social media platforms, the NITDA Director General elaborated on how emerging digital tools are transforming crisis response strategies and underscored the critical need for robust national systems.
He referenced research indicating that false news circulates significantly faster than verified information, a phenomenon that has fueled the rise of fraudulent activities and economic disruptions. Abdullahi also pointed to recent instances where misleading posts resulted in substantial losses, further highlighting the necessity for rapid verification and coordinated intervention.
In the 2023 compliance report, a total of 65,853,581 pieces of content were taken down from platforms including Google, X (formerly Twitter), Microsoft, and TikTok, following user complaints. This same period saw 4,125,283 complaints lodged by Nigerian users concerning harmful content.