The Nigeria Police Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, has said it is difficult to protect Nigerian cyberspace against intrusion from cybercriminals, who want to dominate the cyber space.
Speaking on the effectiveness of the Cybercrime Act 2024 as amended, in a telephone conversation with Saturday PUNCH, Adejobi, explained that the Act had assisted in fortifying the legal framework and technological measures against threats by equipping the law enforcement agencies with the necessary tools to combat the cyber threats effectively.
The Cybercrime Act 2024 as amended was signed into law by President Bola Tinubu on February 28, 2024, to address the evolving methods employed by cybercriminals to exploit unsuspecting victims in Nigeria’s digital space.
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The amendment also narrows the offence of cyber-stalking to messages sent via computers that are likely to cause a breakdown of law and order or pose a threat to life. Service providers must keep and protect specific traffic data and subscriber information per the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023.
According to him, the Cybercrime Unit of the NPF had assisted in ensuring that such crimes were adequately tackled, adding that all hands were on deck to ensure the protection of Nigerian cyberspace.
He explained further that the police were committed to protecting the Nigerian cyberspace as well as kicking against all sorts of cyber crimes, adding that as the Act was enacted to address cases of internet fraud amongst others, their personnel and any other law enforcement agency found culpable of violating the Act could be checkmated for proper check and balances.
He said, “With the help of the centre and the equipment, we have been tackling some of these crimes, and we have recorded a lot of achievements. We have arrested many of them so I know that with the invention of many applications, technology and ICT platforms.
“It is very difficult to protect cyberspace but with what we have on ground we are trying to munch up with these criminals who want to dominate our cyberspace but there is no room for them.”
