3 weeks ago
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The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi, SAN, has called for a agreed and coordinated nationalist beforehand against the increasing question of cybercrime, informing that Nigeria tin nary longer spend to beryllium “a passive perceiver successful this warfare without borders.”
Fagbemi, who was represented by the Director of the Solicitors Department astatine the Federal Ministry of Justice, Mrs Gladys Odegbaro, made the telephone portion delivering his keynote code astatine the Annual Cybercrimes Awareness Campaign and the 2nd National Consultations connected the Cybercrimes Legal Framework successful Nigeria, held successful Abuja.
The five-day forum, themed “Towards a Coordinated and Informed National Response to Cybercrime,” brought unneurotic lawmakers, instrumentality enforcement agencies, the judiciary, civilian society, and planetary partners to fortify Nigeria’s effect to the increasing cyber threat.
Quoting the precocious Kofi Annan’s words, “Knowledge is power. Information is liberating,” Fagbemi noted that the connection rings truer today, erstwhile accusation itself has go weaponised. “Globally, 72 per cent of organisations look rising cyber risks, with damages projected to deed 10.5 trillion US dollars annually by 2025,” helium said. “In Nigeria, the information is escalating 4,388 cyberattacks play successful the archetypal 4th of 2025 alone, a 47 per cent increase, ranking america 5th globally successful cybercrime and costing the federation astir 500 cardinal US dollars annually.”
Fagbemi described cybercrime arsenic “a trillion-dollar menace to the planetary economy” that strikes straight astatine Nigeria’s youth, businesses, and nationalist stability. “Behind each statistic is simply a communicative of a pupil defrauded, a concern crippled, a kid exploited online,” helium said. “For a federation positioning itself arsenic Africa’s integer hub, this is not simply a transgression justness issue; it is an existential improvement challenge.”
He revealed that the national authorities was reviewing the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015 and processing 2 caller legislative instruments focused connected cybercrime arsenic a transgression justness framework, cybersecurity governance, and captious infrastructure protection.
“These duplicate bills,” helium explained, “will found a modern ineligible architecture aligned with planetary champion practices and planetary conventions specified arsenic the Budapest Convention and the 2024 United Nations Convention connected Cybercrime, ensuring that Nigeria’s integer sovereignty is safeguarded nether the regularisation of law.”
Highlighting advancement successful organization coordination, helium commended establishing the Joint Case Team connected Cybercrimes JCTC a multi-agency mechanics linking the Ministry of Justice, instrumentality enforcement, forensic experts, and the judiciary. Since its inauguration earlier this year, the JCTC has go “Nigeria’s operational span to planetary cooperation,” moving done the Budapest Convention’s 24/7 Network and the Mutual Legal Assistance framework.
He outlined 3 cardinal priorities for Nigeria’s cyber effect partnership: consciousness and legislative resilience.
“Cybercrime is transnational and technologically sophisticated,” helium said. “Our effect indispensable truthful beryllium inter-agency, cross-sectoral, and globally networked. Every national is simply a imaginable people and truthful a imaginable defender.”
He urged that cyber hygiene acquisition beryllium embedded successful schools and communities, stressing that young radical are often the astir susceptible and correspond the country’s astir potent allies successful ensuring a safer integer space.
Also astatine the event, the Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice, Mrs Beatrice Jedy-Agba, who Mrs Gladys Odegbaro besides represented, said the run and consultation reaffirm Nigeria’s committedness to gathering a harmless and trusted cyberspace.
“Cybercrime has go 1 of the astir pressing challenges of our time,” Jedy-Agba said. “As Nigeria becomes much digitally connected, cybercriminals person unluckily go much sophisticated. Laws unsocial are insufficient; nationalist awareness, preventive education, and effectual enforcement indispensable spell manus successful hand.”
She noted that the forum reflects the government’s holistic attack by combining nationalist consciousness with legislative reform, emphasising that nary azygous instauration tin combat cybercrime successful isolation.
Jedy-Agba commended the collaboration among the National Assembly, instrumentality enforcement agencies, regulators, the judiciary, academia, and civilian society, describing it arsenic “evidence of the multi-stakeholder synergy needed to execute lasting results.”
English (US) ·