The former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar has expressed skepticism about the National Bureau of Statistics statement claim that its official website was compromised in a cyberattack.
This was disclosed in a statement by the Media Office of Atiku on Thursday, which stated that the incident, the first of its kind in the bureau’s history, raises concern.
“This is to inform the public that the NBS website has been hacked, and we are working to recover it. Please disregard any message or report posted until the website is fully restored. Thank you,” the NBS statement read.
On December 17, the NBS revealed that Nigerians paid a total of N2.23 trillion in ransom between May 2023 and April 2024. This staggering amount highlights the severe impact of kidnapping and insecurity in the country over the past year.
The NBS also published its latest Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey, which revealed that an estimated 51.89 million crime incidents occurred across Nigerian households between May 2023 and April 2024.
In a statement signed by the ex-VP’s media office, Atiku stressed the importance of accurate and reliable data and statistics for development, emphasizing that they are essential for informed decision-making and effective policy implementation.
According to the statement, “These are strange times in Nigeria, and it is hoped that the situation at hand is not an underhanded attempt to undermine the integrity of data, which is primarily used for planning, development, and research purposes.
“Subjecting data and statistics, such as those harvested, analyzed, and released by the NBS, to political manipulation or ‘sexing up’ is counterproductive.”
“That is why the claim that the National Bureau of Statistics website was hacked—this being the very first time in its history—should raise concerns about the fidelity of the statistics it releases to the public,” it added.
The office highlighted the suspicious timing of the “so-called hack,” occurring shortly after the release of critical security statistics.
It also cautioned that Nigerians might begin to question the authenticity of any statistics released by the Bureau, assuming they are the result of a hack.
