Former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, has issued a critical warning to the public regarding a fraudulent online grant scheme that is misusing his name to deceive Nigerians.
The scam, branded as the “Atiku Grant by FG,” falsely promises N65,000 to applicants who provide personal information, including their bank details.
In a statement released on X by his media adviser, Paul Ibe, Atiku makes it clear that he has no connection to this initiative and emphasises that it is designed to exploit vulnerable individuals. “It has come to our notice that a group claiming to be ‘Travelling Abroad Opportunities’ has been advertising a so-called ‘Atiku Grant by FG’,” the statement reads. This fraudulent initiative lures applicants with the promise of financial assistance after they fill out an application form and submit sensitive personal information.
Atiku’s media office states that neither the former Nigerian Vice President nor any of his close associates are aware of such a project. “For the avoidance of doubt, His Excellency Atiku Abubakar is not currently running any empowerment scheme that offers N65,000,” the statement says. The warning comes amid a troubling trend of scams in Nigeria, where fraudsters increasingly target unsuspecting citizens through social media platforms.
The prevalence of online scams in Nigeria has been alarming. According to reports, financial institutions in the country lost approximately ₦17.6 billion ($11.2 million) to fraud in 2023 alone, marking a significant increase from previous years. The Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) noted that fraud cases have surged by 496% between 2019 and 2023, highlighting the growing threat posed by cybercriminals in the digital age.
Atiku’s cautions Nigerians against participating in this deceptive scheme, which aims to defraud them of their hard-earned money. “The so-called Atiku Grant by FG is a scam, whose objective is to fleece unsuspecting Nigerians,” the statement says. It also emphasises that if Atiku were to launch any empowerment initiative, it would be done transparently and directly, not through an unknown third party.
The former Vice President’s team has called on security agencies to investigate the promoters of this fraudulent scheme and take appropriate legal action. “We hereby call on security agencies to investigate promoters of this criminal scheme and countless other schemes, which aim is to scam innocent citizens and bring them to book,” the statement says.
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