The Legal professional Common 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 can defend you, defend your rights, and produce cybercriminals to e-book (justice),” he stated on the launch, which befell on the Federal Ministry of Justice in Maitama, Abuja.
The occasion drew participation from David Hanson, UK Minister of State for Residence 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 tackle, Fagbemi stated 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 stated it’s constructed on a collaborative method 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 line with him, cybercrime is advanced and always 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 continually strengthened. Cybercriminals could exploit a scarcity of coordination,” he warned.
He famous that the Joint Case Staff on Cybercrimes was established in response to the necessity for a coordinated and sturdy method to preventing cybercrimes, as envisioned within the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, and so forth) Act, 2015, as amended.
Members of the crew had been drawn from:
The Nigeria Police Drive 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 Nationwide Safety AdviserThe Federal Ministry of JusticeThe Federal Excessive Court docket
Fagbemi emphasised that the crew was created to make sure that the justice system will not be hampered by bureaucratic bottlenecks however is pushed by the widespread aim of reaching effectivity—the place investigators and prosecutors work facet by facet from the outset of a case, aligning methods, pooling sources, harmonizing efforts, constructing capability, and in the end reaching outcomes collectively.
The AGF additionally appreciated worldwide companions—particularly the UK Nationwide Crime Company (NCA), the UK Overseas, Commonwealth & Improvement Workplace (FCDO), and the Commonwealth Secretariat (CommSec)—whose dedication has gone past phrases and translated into motion by means of the availability of IT tools and assist 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 world report on sources of cybercrime actions, behind Russia (1st), Ukraine (2nd), China (third), and the US (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 international cybercrime hotspots by rating essentially the most vital 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 menace, the US established a particular workplace at its embassy in Abuja to assist and strengthen cybersecurity efforts within the nation.
Extra just lately, the federal authorities, by means of the Ministry of Overseas Affairs, raised alarm over the rise of cyber slavery throughout components of West Africa, notably concentrating on Nigerian residents and susceptible youths.
In an announcement signed by Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, spokesperson for the Ministry, it was revealed that many younger Nigerians, together with underage youngsters, are being lured overseas below false guarantees of profitable employment overseas, particularly in crypto-related operations.
