Lagos, Nigeria | – The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, has cautioned contractors and other stakeholders in the oil and gas industry against falling victims of phantom contract proposals by some fraudsters.
This is contained in a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja by the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC, Ohi Alegbe.
The statement said that some hackers and internet scam artists broke into the personal email account of the NNPC GMD on Wednesday.
The statement said the hackers had been using the account to send all manners of scam letters and phantom contract deals to some highly placed contacts within and outside the oil and gas industry.
It said few days earlier, some online news sites were intermittently flashing a strange icon which had the photograph of the NNPC GMD.
It said the photograph was juxtaposed with some members of the House of Representatives under the caption “The blackmailers”.
The statement advised members of the public “to disregard any such seemingly juicy voodoo contract proposals said to be emanating from the email address of Engr. Andrew Yakubu.
“Anybody who commits to such transaction is doing so at his own risk.”
It blamed the strange online icon on the handiwork of some desperate individuals who were bent on tarnishing the image and reputation of Mr. Yakubu.
“Yakubu is neither a politician nor one whose temperament is given to political chicanery.
“Yakubu is a well- heeled technocrat who in the last three decades has demonstrated an abiding commitment to evolving the NNPC into an efficient National Oil Company with global aspirations.
“We call on well-meaning members of the public especially the oil and gas stakeholders to disregard the strange icon as it has nothing to do with what the GMD stands for or represents.”
The statement, however, assured that the corporation would explore all options to arrest the suspects.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
