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Barely a month after suspected fraudsters cloned the phone number of Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, cybercriminals have hacked the WhatsApp number of Umo Eno, Governor of Nigeria’s oil-rich Akwa Ibom State, and used it to solicit funds from his contacts.
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The incident occurred earlier this week, when individuals on the governor’s contact list received messages from his WhatsApp number, requesting money be sent to a specified account with a promise of reimbursement later.
Akwa Ibom, located in southern Nigeria, is the country’s third-richest state with an annual gross domestic product of $19 billion (£15 billion). Governor Eno, a pastor and founder of the All Nations Christian Ministry International, was elected to office last year.
According to a statement from Governor Eno’s Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Ekerete Udoh, the governor’s WhatsApp number was “cloned” by criminal elements attempting to defraud unsuspecting individuals.
The CPS warned the public to disregard any messages soliciting funds, stating, “We hereby warn that any message appearing to solicit funds by these imposters should be totally discountenanced by the general public as they do not emanate from the Governor.”
Despite intensified efforts by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), including the arrest of thousands of individuals, cyber-fraud—popularly known as “Yahoo-Yahoo”—remains a significant problem in Nigeria.
