The Central Bank of Nigeria warned Tuesday that hackers are circulating fraudulent messages, emails and online communications designed to gain access to Nigerians’ personal accounts, in a statement signed by Hakama Sidi Ali.
“The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) wishes to alert members of the public to the circulation of fraudulent messages, emails, and online communications purporting to originate from or be associated with the Bank, which are intended to misinform members of the public,” the bank said.
That warning was blunt about the tactics. “These fraudulent messages, which prompt recipients to click links, peddle false information about the Bank’s leadership, licensing, and policy issues, and are intended to hack personal accounts,” the CBN said, urging Nigerians to treat unexpected communications with suspicion.
The bank repeated practical safeguards in the same statement: “The official website of the Central Bank of Nigeria remains Members of the public are strongly advised to refrain from clicking links or sharing personal information on suspicious websites,” and it added: “Verify the authenticity of all CBN communications through the official website and recognised media outlets.”
The warning comes amid a cluster of digital-security incidents that have unsettled regulators and users. On April 15, the Corporate Affairs Commission confirmed a cyber attack on its information systems, and a week before April 15 the Nigeria Data Protection Commission launched an investigation into an alleged data breach involving Remita Payment Services Ltd., Sterling Bank, and other entities.
That sequence — an NDPC probe, a confirmed attack on the Corporate Affairs Commission, and now the CBN advisory — is the weight behind the bank’s alert. The message is not only that fraudulent communications exist, but that they are operating in an environment where recent breaches and probes have already put user data and trust at risk.
Beyond warnings, the CBN said it is taking steps with other authorities. The bank pledged it is “strengthening its cybersecurity frameworks with relevant agencies to protect Nigerians from digital fraud,” and it reminded the public to “Report any suspected fraudulent site, email, or message to law enforcement authorities.”
The tension in the advisory is this: the fraudulent messages do more than try to steal passwords. By spreading false claims about the bank’s leadership, licensing and policy decisions, they can mislead the public on matters that affect markets, businesses and individual financial choices — amplifying harm beyond immediate account theft.
For ordinary Nigerians the CBN’s practical advice is concrete and narrow: do not click suspicious links; do not share personal information on dubious sites; and verify any communication that claims to come from the bank against the official site and recognised media. The bank provided the address it considers authoritative: “The official website of the Central Bank of Nigeria remains
What happens next matters more than the text of the warning. The most consequential question is whether the coordination the CBN described with other agencies will blunt the fraudsters’ reach before more accounts are compromised or false narratives spur wider disruption. For now, the bank’s advisory places the onus on individuals to resist clicking and to report suspicious messages while authorities pursue technical and legal remedies.
For Hakama Sidi Ali, who signed the alert, the message was both a caution and a call to action: treat unexpected CBN-branded communications as suspect, verify through official channels, and report suspicious activity to law enforcement — steps the bank says are part of its effort to safeguard the financial system against the current wave of cyber deception.
