Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has cautioned the public against fake recruitment offers and fraudulent employment letters circulating in the agency’s name.

Eniola Akinkuotu, head of Media and Corporate Communications of the Commission, stated that NUPRC has received reports of counterfeit and AI-generated appointment letters bearing names not known to the regulator.

The Commission also said fraudsters have been extorting money from jobseekers by promising placement within the agency.

NUPRC has reported the incidents to law enforcement and said investigations are underway.

The regulator reiterated that there is no ongoing recruitment exercise and warned members of the public not to make any payments for supposed job offers.

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“Whenever the Commission decides to recruit, the process will be conducted strictly in accordance with extant laws and government regulations,” the statement said.

The Commission urged jobseekers to verify any purported offer and to rely only on official NUPRC communications for recruitment information.

The warning follows growing concerns about the misuse of digital tools, including artificial intelligence, to fabricate apparently authentic documents that can deceive the public.

KudiWave Technologies Limited has raised questions over the transfer of N750,369,439.04 from its account with PalmPay Limited, seeking clarification on the timing, destination and circumstances surrounding the transaction.

In a statement, on Tuesday, KudiWave said the disputed debit was recorded on July 15, 2026, under the narration “Judicial Adjustment”.

The company said it was not notified of, or did not authorise, the transaction.

According to KudiWave, it had already approached the Federal High Court in Lagos to challenge an earlier order affecting its account.Politics News Service

The company said its application, filed on July 3, sought to set aside the June 29 order and stay its execution.

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“The motion was heard on July 13 and adjourned for ruling. Two days later, the N750.37 million was transferred out of the account,” the company said.

KudiWave further stated that PalmPay had been served with the application before the July 15 transaction and did not file a counter-affidavit opposing the application.

The company also raised questions about an earlier movement of funds on July 11, which it said became apparent after access to the account was restored.

According to KudiWave, its account records showed that the funds were moved on July 11 and returned the same day before another transfer was recorded on July 15.

“PalmPay moved the money on July 11 and sent it back that same day. They then took it out again on July 15. When the account was opened, we saw how the money had been moved around while the account was frozen and we were not aware of it,” the company said.

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The dispute followed an ex parte order obtained by the Inspector General of Police through officers of the Police Special Fraud Unit in Ikoyi, which placed restrictions on accounts belonging to several parties, including KudiWave, pending investigation.

The restriction was subsequently implemented on KudiWave’s account with PalmPay.

Further proceedings were filed under Suit No. FHC/L/CS/795/2026 before Justice Ibrahim Ahmad Kala of the Federal High Court, Lagos Judicial Division, in relation to funds standing to KudiWave’s credit.

KudiWave said the court granted an application on June 29.

The company subsequently challenged the order, arguing that it had not been properly served with the processes leading to the decision and had not been effectively brought before the court when the application was heard.

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According to KudiWave, Justice Kala considered the company’s subsequent application on July 22 and set aside, vacated and discharged the June 29 order.

The company said the court also directed that the restrictions placed on its account be removed.

KudiWave further stated that the court examined the circumstances surrounding the purported service of the processes and raised questions about whether leaving documents at a gate, without sufficient indication of the company’s specific address, amounted to effective service.

The company quoted the court as describing the circumstances surrounding the service as “very curious”.

KudiWave also said the ruling recognised the court’s inherent power to set aside its own decision where circumstances justify such intervention.

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The July 22 ruling came after the July 15 transfer.

KudiWave, however, said the transaction should be considered in the context of the fact that the June 29 order was already being challenged and that its application had been argued before the court two days earlier.

The company has also questioned the destination of the funds.

According to KudiWave, its understanding of the June 29 order was that the identified funds were to be transferred to a designated Police Recovery Account associated with the Police Special Fraud Unit.

The company said its account records instead indicated that the N750,369,439.04 was transferred to an Access Bank business account.

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KudiWave said it wants clarification on the identity of the beneficiary, the instruction that authorised the transfer and the basis for the July 11 movement of funds.

“The issue for us is simple. If the order identified a particular account for the funds, there must be a clear explanation of why our records show the money going elsewhere and who ultimately received it,” the company said.

KudiWave said it was seeking a reconciliation of transactions carried out on its account during the restriction period and was considering further legal and regulatory steps in relation to the disputed transactions.

The company also said that, during earlier efforts to resolve the restriction, Barrister Prince Oko, its Company Secretary, met with officers of the Police Special Fraud Unit.

KudiWave alleged that a request for N50 million was made in connection with efforts to remove the restriction and said the company rejected the request.

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The allegation has not been independently established and has not been determined by a court.

KudiWave maintained that its concerns do not relate to compliance with lawful court orders but to whether the transactions involving its funds were carried out in accordance with the terms of the relevant judicial directive.

The company said it wants clarification on the July 11 transactions, the subsequent N750,369,439.04 transfer on July 15, the destination of the funds and the circumstances surrounding the transactions.

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Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said that more than 5,000 fibre-optic cable cuts linked to road construction, excavation and related civil works were recorded in the first six months of 2026.

The commission said that the damage is disrupting telecommunications services, increasing operators’ costs and exposing businesses and essential public services to avoidable interruptions.

Aminu Maida, executive vice chairman, NCC, disclosed the figure at a stakeholders’ workshop on the protection of fibre-optic infrastructure during road construction and rehabilitation.

He said the scale of the incidents showed the need to prevent damage rather than wait to repair networks after they had been cut

Maida said fibre networks support banking, healthcare, education, government services, commerce, security and emergency communications.

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He recalled the widespread telecommunications disruption in February 2024, when fibre cuts affected millions of Nigerians and caused congestion on alternative networks as subscribers switched providers.

He said a Standing Committee on the Protection of Fibre Optic Cables had been established by the Federal Ministries of Works and Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy to improve coordination before, during and after road construction.

The committee was later expanded to include the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps because of the critical nature of telecommunications infrastructure.

Raphael Adelador, permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Works, said road construction and telecommunications infrastructure often occupy the same physical space, making coordination essential.

Adelador called for better mapping of fibre routes and improved information sharing so contractors and consultants know where telecommunications infrastructure is located before excavation begins.

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He said damage to fibre networks could lead to service disruptions, lost productivity, financial losses and inconvenience to citizens.

Representing Nadungu Gagare, permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Stanley Musa, director of Telecoms and Postal Services, said the protection of telecommunications infrastructure was a shared national responsibility.

The Permanent Secretary said that the government was working with relevant stakeholders to strengthen compliance with technical standards and right-of-way requirements, improve information sharing and develop clearer procedures for infrastructure protection.

Air Vice Marshal Effiom Ewa, director of Critical National Standards and Infrastructure Protection at the Office of the National Security Adviser, said fibre-optic infrastructure had been designated as critical national information infrastructure and warned that damage caused by negligence, interference or actions that expose the infrastructure to damage could attract legal consequences.

Air Vice Marshal Ewa called for strict compliance with established procedures during construction and maintenance activities.

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The two-day workshop brought together representatives of government ministries and agencies, security organisations, telecommunications operators, contractors and other stakeholders to develop practical measures for reducing fibre damage during construction projects.

The stakeholders are expected to strengthen coordination, information sharing and accountability so that road development does not undermine the digital infrastructure supporting Nigeria’s economy.