The Nigerian Army has warned the public about fake social media accounts pretending to be senior officers — especially on Facebook.
In a statement on its official X handle on Sunday, the Army said fraudsters set up accounts posing as the Deputy Chief of Standards and Evaluation (Army), Major General Raymond Utsaha, while using a photo of the Chief of Policy and Plans (Army), Major General Bamidele Alabi.
The Army says the accounts were meant to deceive and defraud people with false representations and unauthorised online contact. “The Nigerian Army wishes to categorically state that the said Facebook accounts are fake and were created with malicious intent to defraud individuals through false representations and unauthorised online engagements,” the statement read.
The public was told to ignore any messages, friend requests, money requests or unofficial approaches coming from those accounts. The Army also reminded everyone that senior officers do not carry out official deals, award contracts, ask for money or handle sensitive matters through personal social media or unofficial online channels.
“The general public is urged to remain vigilant and report suspicious accounts or activities to the appropriate security agencies,” the statement added.
The Army said it will keep watching and take action against people or groups behind cyber impersonation and related fraud.
