Police to set up special anti-cyber crime unit

Efforts at effectively dealing with cybercrime investigations may soon get a boost as the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has decided to establish an anti-cybercrimes unit (ACU).

This was disclosed in Lagos by the Zonal Police Public Relations Officer for both Lagos and Ogun states, Dolapo Badmus at the cyber security awareness programme organised by the United States Embassy in Nigeria in collaboration with the International Centre for Leadership Development Nigeria (ICLDNG).

According to Badmus, the new dimensions of cybercrimes in Nigeria had compelled the Nigerian police authority to begin a dialogue on how to tackle cyber menace.

She explained that although, there was already in place an anti-fraud unit, the complex nature of cyber-criminal activities has necessitated the need to have a dedicated cybercrime unit equipped with operatives that would be trained on how to investigate cyber-criminal cases.

She further said: “Today, a whole lot of youths, ranging from 19- 30 years are involved in cybercrimes. The truth is that the menace is going beyond the youths just getting involved in cybercrimes. Terrorists are also leveraging on access to the Internet to harvest information used to carry out their criminal activities. We need to prepare for this.”

She noted that already, Nigeria has passed the Cybercrime Act into law in 2015 and, “this law has become operational in the country with minimum of two years and option of fine and from our end, we don’t award punishment; it is the courts that award punishment; we only investigate and we are ready to equip the operatives in the proposed unit with state-of-the-art technical skills for effective cybercrime investigation.”

Badmus also explained that the police would strengthen collaborations with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on the implementation of the Cybercrime Act, 2015, stressing that the few criminally-minded Internet users are giving Nigeria a bad image.

 “All over the world, when you talk of Nigeria, people think of us as Yahoo-Yahoo country, but this is not true. Many of us use the Internet legitimately. We do everything to eschew involvement in cybercrimes, and that is why we are creating the unit which, we believe, will help us on effective investigations,” she said.

The US Consul General, Mr. John Bray, said cyber security is an important issue, as all around the globe, “we have seen individuals, companies, and governments become the victims of cyber-attacks.”

 He further noted: “So, every October is dedicated to creating national public awareness campaign as a collaborative effort between government and industry that encourages individuals to protect their computers and our nation’s critical cyber infrastructure.”

He said a cyberspace security review by the US government in 2009 led to the annual ongoing cyber security awareness campaign tagged: ‘Stop.Think.Connect.’

“Stop.Think.Connect, is a national public awareness campaign designed to raise awareness of cyber security and to be more vigilant about practicing safe online habits. By joining the Stop.Think.Connect campaign, you will have connections to partners and subject matter experts who are committed to increasing online safety; cyber security tips, messaging, articles, and presentations; monthly discussions highlighting current cyber issues and trends,” Bray said.

Bray added that growing dependence on technology, coupled with the increasing threat of cyber-attacks and risks to privacy, demands greater security in the online world.

His words: “By adopting and joining the Stop.Think.Connect campaign, people will better understand the risks that come with using the Internet and the importance of practicing safe online behaviour.”