The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi SAN, on Tuesday formally launched the Joint Case Staff on Cybercrimes, geared toward bringing cybercriminals throughout Nigeria to justice.
“To Nigerians, we’re constructing a system that may defend you, defend your rights, and convey cybercriminals to e book (justice),” he mentioned on the launch, which passed off on the Federal Ministry of Justice in Maitama, Abuja.
The occasion drew participation from David Hanson, UK Minister of State for House Affairs, officers from the Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee (EFCC), the Nigeria Monetary Intelligence Unit (NFIU), and the Director of the NPF Nationwide Cybercrime Centre, amongst others.
Synergy in cybercrime combat
In his keynote deal with, Fagbemi mentioned the Joint Case Staff on Cybercrimes marks a daring and transformative step in Nigeria’s felony justice system.
- Explaining the imaginative and prescient behind the crew, the AGF mentioned it’s constructed on a collaborative strategy to combating the menace of cybercrime.
“A imaginative and prescient based on the rules of synergy, coordination, and mutual respect amongst establishments dedicated to justice,” he added.
- In response to him, cybercrime is advanced and continually evolving, and combating it requires an efficient felony justice response, with seamless cooperation between related actors—specifically, investigators and prosecutors.
“Worldwide cooperation can solely be efficient if, on the nationwide degree, collaboration is consistently strengthened. Cybercriminals could exploit an absence of coordination,” he warned.
- He famous that the Joint Case Staff on Cybercrimes was established in response to the necessity for a coordinated and strong strategy to preventing cybercrimes, as envisioned within the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, and many others) Act, 2015, as amended.
Members of the crew had been drawn from:
- The Nigeria Police Pressure Nationwide Cybercrimes Centre (NPFNCCC)
- The Financial and Monetary Crimes Fee (EFCC)
- The Nigeria Monetary Intelligence Unit (NFIU)
- The Nationwide Company for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Individuals (NAPTIP)
- The Nigeria Pc Emergency Response Staff (NgCERT), Workplace of the National Security Adviser
- The Federal Ministry of Justice
- The Federal Excessive Court docket
Fagbemi emphasised that the crew was created to make sure that the justice system isn’t hampered by bureaucratic bottlenecks however is pushed by the frequent objective of attaining effectivity—the place investigators and prosecutors work aspect by aspect from the outset of a case, aligning methods, pooling assets, harmonizing efforts, constructing capability, and in the end attaining outcomes collectively.
The AGF additionally appreciated worldwide companions—particularly the UK Nationwide Crime Company (NCA), the UK Overseas, Commonwealth & Growth Workplace (FCDO), and the Commonwealth Secretariat (CommSec)—whose dedication has gone past phrases and translated into motion via the availability of IT gear and help for foundational coaching for the crew.
What it is best to know
Nairametrics beforehand reported that in early 2024, Nigeria was ranked fifth in a worldwide report on sources of cybercrime actions, behind Russia (1st), Ukraine (2nd), China (third), and the USA (4th).
The report, described because the first-ever World Cybercrime Index, was produced by researchers from the Division of Sociology, College of Oxford, and the College of New South Wales, Canberra.
It recognized main world cybercrime hotspots by rating probably the most important nationwide sources of cybercrime.
Backstory
In October 2024, the EFCC raised alarm over the rising prevalence of cybercrime in Nigeria, revealing that the nation misplaced greater than $500 million to such unlawful actions in 2022.
As Nigeria continued to grapple with this rising risk, the USA established a particular workplace at its embassy in Abuja to help and strengthen cybersecurity efforts within the nation.
Extra just lately, the federal authorities, via the Ministry of Overseas Affairs, raised alarm over the rise of cyber slavery throughout elements of West Africa, notably concentrating on Nigerian residents and susceptible youths.
In a press release signed by Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, spokesperson for the Ministry, it was revealed that many younger Nigerians, together with underage youngsters, are being lured in a foreign country underneath false guarantees of profitable employment overseas, particularly in crypto-related operations.
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