Google, LinkedIn, TikTok Deactivate Over 28 Million Nigerian Accounts in Past Year, NITDA Reveals
Google, LinkedIn, TikTok Deactivate Over 28 Million Nigerian Accounts in Past Year, NITDA Reveals
Google, LinkedIn, TikTok Deactivate Over 28 Million Nigerian Accounts in Past Year, NITDA Reveals
The Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Abdullahi, has disclosed that three major global technology platforms — Google, LinkedIn, and TikTok — deactivated over 28 million accounts in the past year, many of which were linked to Nigerian online actors.
Speaking on Monday at a symposium on digital innovations in crisis communication organised by the Centre for Crisis Communication in Abuja, Abdullahi explained that the accounts were removed for fraud, impersonation, and spreading harmful content.
“Just three platforms — Google, LinkedIn, and TikTok — deactivated over 28 million accounts last year,” Abdullahi said. He added that Google alone shut down 9,680,141 accounts, while LinkedIn removed nearly 16 million, a figure he described as “outrageous” given the platform’s professional focus. TikTok also carried out high-volume suspensions.
Beyond account suspensions, Abdullahi revealed that the platforms removed more than 58.9 million pieces of harmful content linked to Nigeria within the same period. At least 420,000 posts were later restored following appeals or internal reviews.
The NITDA DG warned that these figures highlight the growing weaponisation of social media in Nigeria, where platforms are increasingly exploited for impersonation, fraud, and disinformation.
He emphasised that while harmful content must be removed, takedown systems should not be used to silence critics or suppress minority voices. “If content is not violating any laws in Nigeria, there is no way we can just say take it down,” he noted, stressing the need for a transparent, rights-respecting reinstatement process.
Abdullahi further explained that the collaboration between Nigerian regulators and global technology companies has improved communication and compliance, supporting reforms such as the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation and the establishment of the Nigerian Data Protection Commission.
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Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, the Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria, Jibrin Ndace, highlighted the importance of using emerging technologies to strengthen crisis communication rather than inflame tensions or destabilise the country. “It is not only the insecurity that we battle, but also the narrative that frames the insecurity,” he said, stressing the role of information dissemination in shaping public perception and national stability.
Google, LinkedIn, TikTok Deactivate Over 28 Million Nigerian Accounts in Past Year, NITDA Reveals
