The First Lady, Aisha Buhari, has denied posting the purported Central Bank of Nigeria press release shared on her Instagram page on Tuesday, stating that it was the handiwork of hackers.
In the release shared on Aisha’s page on Tuesday, it was alleged that the old N500 and N1000 notes should remain legal tender till May 1, 2023.
But the first lady has offered a disclaimer stating that the post wasn’t from her.
Denying the post, the First Lady said, “DISCLAIMER! DISCLAIMER!! It has come to my attention that a certain fake news was posted on my social media handle, Instagram which also directly connects to my Facebook page, earlier this morning. I have since directed that it should be deleted.
“This is without a doubt the criminal actions of the person(s) who were responsible for deleting quite a number of my posts since 2018 to late last year when I posted a video and picture of my hands with Henna design of ABAT insignia on the day I launched the APC Women Presidential Campaign Committee for Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Ilorin, Kwara State, my post on the event for the Traditional and Complementary Alternative Medicine (TCAM) conference and 17 other posts. This person is a hacker, criminally minded with the intention to continue attacking my reputation through my social media platforms.
“But I am assuring you that this is the first and last I am disclaiming fake news on my handle. It is the responsibility of the security agencies to find out who am I sharing my social media handles with, despite being verified accounts, and take all necessary actions.”
The Central Bank of Nigeria had also debunked the purported press release and vowed to arrest its purveyor
The CBN wrote in a statement, “The attention of the Central Bank of Nigeria has been drawn to a FAKE PRESS RELEASE purported to have emanated from the Bank to the effect that President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the reissuance and release of old N500 and N1000 notes as legal tender in the country.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Central Bank of Nigeria reiterates that in line with the directives of Mr. President, only N200 old notes are to be reissued and to circulate concurrently with the new notes. Members of the public are therefore advised to ignore this fake news.
“The Bank is working with the law enforcement agencies to investigate, apprehend and prosecute the purveyors of this fake news. Please be guided accordingly.”
