Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has disclaimed a fraudulent empowerment scheme circulating on social media, promising applicants N65,000 financial support in his name.
In a statement issued on Sunday by his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, Atiku distanced himself from the so-called “Atiku Grant by FG” being promoted by a group identified as “Travelling Abroad Opportunities.” The group allegedly asks applicants to provide personal details, including names, account numbers, and banks, to qualify for the purported grant.
Ibe clarified that Atiku is not associated with any empowerment scheme promising financial support of this nature. He emphasized that no organization connected to the former vice president is conducting such an initiative, labeling the scheme a scam designed to exploit unsuspecting Nigerians, according to TheSun.
The statement cautioned the public against falling victim to the fraudulent operation, noting that if Atiku were to launch such a program, it would be done transparently and directly, not through an unverified third party.
Ibe further called on security agencies to investigate and prosecute the promoters of the scheme, as well as other similar scams targeting innocent citizens. He reiterated the need for vigilance among Nigerians to avoid being deceived by fraudulent schemes masquerading as legitimate initiatives.
“For the avoidance of doubt, His Excellency Atiku Abubakar, the former Vice President of Nigeria (1999-2007) and Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (2023) is not currently running an empowerment scheme that purports to give N65,000 to successful applicants.
“Also, there is no organisation related to, connected with, and associated with the former Vice President that is running an empowerment scheme by whatever shape or form,” the statement reads in part.
” This is to alert Nigerians not to participate in what is obviously a fraudulent scheme that seeks to hoodwink unsuspecting citizens into thinking that it is a scheme by Atiku Abubakar.
“Even if the Waziri Adamawa was going to embark on such a scheme, he would do so directly and not through a third party that is unknown to Nigerians,” the statement adds.
Atiku’s aide called 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”.
