Niger State Government has raised an alarm after uncovering a sophisticated fraud network pretending to be part of Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago’s empowerment programme. The scammers are reported to be moving from one community to another, collecting personal information such as Bank Verification Numbers, BVN, National Identity Numbers, NIN, fingerprints, and bank details. They told residents that the data was needed to register them for government support.
According to reports, the fraudsters used the stolen information to open digital wallet accounts on OPay, PalmPay, and MoniePoint. They allegedly took loans of up to N500,000 in the names of their victims, giving them only N50,000 and claiming it was empowerment money from the governor’s initiative. After carrying out the fraud, they were said to have destroyed the SIM cards used for the scheme and disappeared, leaving unsuspecting residents with debts they never agreed to.
Secretary to the Niger State Government, SSG, Alhaji Abubakar Usman, condemned the development and stressed that it has no link to the government. He stated, “no government official is collecting such data door-to-door.” He added, “Any person asking for your BVN, NIN, bank details, or fingerprints in the name of empowerment is a fraudster.”
The SSG confirmed that the state government has instructed security agencies to track and prosecute those involved. He also urged residents not to share sensitive information with anyone claiming to represent the government.
The government reassured the public of its commitment to protecting citizens and warned that it will not tolerate criminals using empowerment programmes as a cover to exploit people.
