The WhatsApp account of the Majority Leader of the Kano State House of Assembly, Lawan Hussaini Chediyar Yan Gurasa, has been hacked.
Yan Gurasa, who represents Dala Constituency in the state House of Assembly, disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Nasa’i Abdullahi.
The statement warned members of the public against responding to any message sent from the compromised account, stressing that such messages should not be regarded as originating from the lawmaker.
“The WhatsApp account of Majority Leader, Lawan Hussaini Chediyar Yan Gurasa (Member Representing Dala Constituency in the Kano State House of Assembly) has been hacked,” the statement read.
It added, “We therefore wish to inform the general public that any message sent from the account should not be considered as coming from him.”
Abdullahi assured that efforts were being made to recover the account and that the public would be informed once the issue was resolved.
“We will notify the public as soon as the issue is resolved,” he added.
Cases of WhatsApp account hacking have become increasingly common in Nigeria, with cybercriminals often using compromised accounts to impersonate victims and defraud unsuspecting contacts.
Under Section 22(3) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024, fraudulent impersonation of any person or entity for financial gain or to cause harm is an offence punishable by up to seven years imprisonment, a fine of N5m, or both upon conviction.
