Surprise as fraudsters ‘hack’ WhatsApp account of Nigerian governor

• Fraudsters hacked the WhatsApp number of Akwa Ibom Governor Umo Eno, sending fraudulent messages to his contacts asking for money
• The governor's chief press secretary, Ekerete Udoh, confirmed that the WhatsApp number was "cloned" by criminals aiming to defraud unsuspecting individuals
• The public has been urged to ignore any messages requesting funds, as law enforcement agencies have been alerted and are tracking the perpetrators

Uyo, Akwa Ibom state - Fraudsters have hacked the WhatsApp number of Umo Eno, the governor of Akwa Ibom.

On Tuesday, August 13, several of Eno's contacts received messages from his WhatsApp number asking them to transfer a specified amount of money to an account and promising reimbursement later.

Akwa Ibom state government speaks on cloning of governor's WhatsApp account Photo credit: @OfficialPDPNig
Source: Twitter

Ekerete Udoh, the governor's chief press secretary, released a statement confirming that the governor's WhatsApp number had been "cloned" by criminals attempting to defraud unsuspecting individuals.

Udoh also mentioned that law enforcement agencies have been notified about the situation, TheCable reported.

The statement said:

"Our attention has been brought to deliberately orchestrated fraudulent posts on certain social media platforms, where criminal elements have cloned the WhatsApp number of His Excellency, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, with the intent to defraud unsuspecting individuals."

Members of public cautioned

As reported by BusinessDay, the Akwa Ibom state government also appealed to Nigerians to disregard messages seeking funds, saying:

It says:

"We strongly caution the general public to disregard any messages soliciting funds from these imposters, as they do not originate from the Governor."Law enforcement agencies have been notified and are actively pursuing the individuals responsible for this malicious act."

Akwa Ibom NYSC coordinator, driver abducted

In another development, Legit.ng reported that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) had announced the abduction of its Akwa-Ibom State Coordinator, Okun Christopher, and his driver, Daniel Effiong Asibong.

According to the NYSC, the two were abducted between Akwa Ibom and Delta while travelling for an official assignment on Monday, July 29, 2024. Despite efforts to locate them, their whereabouts remain unknown.

Eddy Megwa, the director press and public relations department of the NYSC, at a press conference on Wednesday, August 7, lamented their abduction.

Source: Legit.ng