For former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who has yet to
register his presence on Twitter, 19 people are already
laying claims to his identity on the social network.
One of the fake Twitter handles, @Olu_Obasanjo, gives
users no indication that it is a fake account. Its bio
reads, "The official Twitter page for his excellency,
Chief Olusegun Obasanjo; the ex-chairman, PDP Board of
Trustees, former President Federal Republic of Nigeria''
and its location is "Ota-farms, Ogun State.''
The account was launched on January 4, 2012, with this
tweet, "GEJ (President Jonathan), I want you to get the
real sponsors of Boko Haram.''
However, it is worthy of note that those using the
identity of the former president on the social service
have continued to fool unsuspecting members of the
public as they yearn to commune with 'him' online.
More worrisome is the fact that many of them may have
succeeded in duping unsuspecting members of the public
as some Nigerians flock to the fake profiles seeking
employment.
For instance, a Twitter user, Jide Dare, who described
himself as an unemployed Higher National Diploma
holder, reached out to one of the fake profiles,
@Chief_Obasanjo, on May 28.
Dare said, "Baba o, emi yin a gun sir (you shall live
long). Please sir, I need your help. I need a job I possess
a Higher National Diploma in Electrical Electronics
Engineering.'' It could not be ascertained if they had
further discussions via the direct messaging functions of
the network.
It was observed that many people have been deceived
into believing that they were communing with the retired
General. A Twitter user, Jimmie Aninege, who might
have felt elated by subscribing to the Twitter handle,
tweeted, "Baba, you don come again. Interesting to have
you on Twitter, Father of Nigeria.''
It was observed that the fraudster usually sent tweets
asking followers to feel free to hold conversations with
him/ her on the network. A follower of the fake account
once asked, "When will Obasanjo stop putting on
traditional attire and dress just like Obama in suit? The
fraudster replied, "Yes! If corruption is no longer a
cankerworm in Nigeria.''
Those behind the deception of stealing the ex-President's
identity online may have created the fake account in an
effort to malign his person.
For instance, a tweet on @Olu_Obasanjo says, "I never
wanted a third term as president; it was just the
handiwork of the devil. GEJ, these people will impede on
your success if you stick to the constitution. Sometimes,
when a mess is created it's necessary for one to soil one's
hands in order to clean up the mess.''
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