Notice of cyber attacks on Yerwa Express News' social media platforms

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BY YERWA EXPRESS NEWS/PRESS RELEASE, FEBRUARY 21, 2022 | 09:54 AM


We are sad to inform our esteemed readers that our social media platforms have come under several cyber-attacks in recent times.

We suspect that the attacks were launched by a terrorists’ cyber syndicate who find our consistent reports against ISWAP and Boko Haram unsettling.

The syndicate have taken the habit of filing various impersonation reports against our pages on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and WhatsApp since we started a new project to detail the public about the growing threats of the terrorist groups across the North East and the Lake Chad Region.

Checks conducted by Network Against Scam and Cyber Crime on all our platforms revealed that the coordinated attacks started last month when our Twitter account, @YerwaExpress, was reported repeatedly after we published several reports against ISWAP.

As a result of the consistency of the syndicate, Twitter Inc. took down the page in January 22, 2022, without contacting us for verification. As a matter of fact, they are yet to respond to our appeals despite providing our incorporation and trademark certificates, among other things.

On Facebook, the syndicates’ antics includes opening multiple pages with our name, logo and information. The purpose is to convince Facebook to also take our official page down.

The latest attack in which we lost control of the page, with username @Yerwaexpress, was on February 19, shortly after we published a report about why ISWAP is a more dangerous faction of the terrorist organizations operating in the Lake Chad Region.

There were also multiple unsuccessful attacks on the news site, www.yen.ng, as it is effectively defended. You can always visit it for our reports.

We are therefore issuing this statement to inform our readers of this unfortunate development. However, all resources have been put in place to restore and secure the platforms within the shortest time possible.

In the meantime, you can follow us on the following: Facebook: @yerwaexpressnews2016 Instagram: @yerwa_express Twitter: @yerwaexpresskan

As Facebook is being informed of this breach, we kindly request that you help us report the page @Yerwaexpress for impersonation as we no longer have control over it.

We assure you that our commitment to bringing you authentic and timely news is only further emboldened as this is a proof that our work is making the required impact.

Abdulhamid Al-Gazali, Publisher / Editor-in-Chief Yerwa Express News February 20, 2022

About Yerwa Express News Yerwa Express News is a newspaper founded from the ashes of the Boko Haram crisis in October, 2016 to report happenings across the North East of Nigeria and the Lake Chad Region. It reports from its head office in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State and the epicenter of the crisis. Abdulhamid Al-Gazali, a historian, PR professional and journalist, is the publisher and pioneer editor-in-chief of the paper.


Appeal for support


Conflict Reporting is dangerous and risky. Our reporters constantly face life-threatening challenges, sometimes surviving ambushes, kidnap attempts and attacks by the whiskers as they travel and go into communities to get authentic and firsthand information. But we dare it every day, nonetheless, in order to keep you informed of the true situation of the victims, the trends in the conflicts and ultimately help in peace building processes. But these come at huge cost to us. We are therefore appealing to you to help our cause by donating to us through any of the following means. You can also donate working tools, which are even more primary to our work. We thank you sincerely as you help our cause.

Alternatively, you can also email us on info@yen.ng or message us
via +234 803 931 7767

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