The Nigerian Army has warned individuals impersonating the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, on social media to stop or face the consequences.
The warning is contained in a statement by the Director, Army Public Relations, Maj.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, on Sunday in Abuja.
Nwachukwu said the army had been inundated with complaints of an increasing number of impostors claiming to be the COAS on various social media platforms.
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According to him, the impostors have been using the COAS’s official portrait as their profile picture on various social media platforms.
He stated that this was not the first time impostors had attempted to impersonate the COAS on social media platforms to dupe unsuspecting members of the public.
“A new trend observed, however, is the fixing of online/virtual meetings on Zoom, WhatsApp, Facebook, and other online engagements with demand that participants share specific numbers which appear on their screens during such meetings with which the impostors then engage individually with the participants and subsequently defraud them,” Nwachukwu said.
The army has identified several phone numbers used by the impostors, including 09033949238, 09075323836, 09074272745, 08169257155, 08064561495, 08054138812, 09161521558, 09026515718, 09020898622, 08131333263, 09077188584, 08084529752, 08147409236, 09136497898, 09024627712, 07010119398, 09138997224, 09061549129, 08163593764, 07035272009, 09018150412, 08093524443, and 08088120581.
“While the Nigerian Army, like other sister services of the Armed Forces, have peculiar ways of communication known to all officers and soldiers, members of the general public must be wary of the danger posed by these impostors,” Nwachukwu warned.
“You are therefore urged to refrain from engaging in any online meeting organised on social media platforms especially using the official portrait of the COAS as the display picture.
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Members of the general public are enjoined to report such mobile phone numbers used to fix such online or virtual meetings through the Nigerian Army toll-free call centre number 193 for appropriate follow-up actions,” he said.
Nwachukwu also urged personnel and non-personnel alike to be circumspect in engaging in any social media online, virtual meeting, or call, as official means of communication with the army hierarchy.
He added that established protocols and procedures should be relied on while being vigilant against the wiles of scammers.
Senate Gives Nod to Appointment Of Oluyede As COAS
The Nigerian Senate On Tuesday, November 3, confirmed the appointment of Lt .-Gen. Olufemi Oluyede as the substantive Chief of Army Staff (COAS), during plenary.
The confirmation followed adoption of the Committee on Army’s report on the Oluyede screening.
