The Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Abdullahi, disclosed that Google, LinkedIn, and TikTok deactivated over 28 million accounts in the past year for fraud, impersonation, and spreading harmful content, many of them linked to Nigerians.

• Google: 9,680,141 accounts deactivated
• LinkedIn: Nearly 16 million accounts removed
• TikTok: High-volume suspensions (exact number not specified)

Additionally, the platforms removed over 58.9 million harmful posts, with 420,000 posts restored after appeals or internal reviews.

Abdullahi warned that the scale of activity highlights the weaponisation of social media in Nigeria, including scams, disinformation, and extremist propaganda. He also stressed the need to protect online freedom and ensure governments cannot misuse takedown systems to silence critics.

The initiative reflects strengthened collaboration between global tech companies and Nigerian regulators, supporting reforms such as the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation.

Speakers at a related symposium emphasized the role of crisis communication in managing national security risks, noting that timely access to credible information is crucial amid modern social media-driven crises.