The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio has canvassed the need to establish a comprehensive legal framework to deter, investigate, pursue and prosecute cyber criminals.
Indeed, the Senate President bemoaned how Nigeria suffered financial losses as a result of cybercrime actors activities.
This comes as the upper legislative chamber kick start the process to amend the Cybercrime Act 2015.
Akpabio spoke on Wednesday at a one-day public hearing on the Cybercrime (Prohibition and Prevention) Act (Amendment) Bill, 2023 held in Abuja.
He emphasised the need to strengthen the existing laws on cybercrime prohibition and prevention to catch up with technological advancement, stressing that certain individuals have exploited the gaps.
The Senate President was represented by the Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele.
According to Akpabio, “In this age of rapid technological advancement and widespread internet usage, cybercrime has emerged as a grave menace to our society, economy and personal security. In the past, certain individuals with misguided intentions exploited our weak cybercrime laws, thereby tarnishing the reputation of our country.
“They engaged in a wide array of illegal activities, such as hacking, identity theft, fraud, harassment and cyber terrorism. These crimes not only inflicted significant financial losses upon our country, but also invaded our privacy, disrupted critical infrastructure, and eroded trust in our digital systems,”.
Speaking on funding for cybersecurity to protect Nigeria’s digital economy, the lawmaker drew the attention of the audience to dire consequences should the nation continue to treat issues relating to national cybersecurity with kid gloves.
Similarly, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) claimed that Nigeria was losing 500 million dollars annually to all forms of cybercrime including hacking, identity theft, cyber terrorism, harassment and Internet fraud.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on ICT and Cyber Security, Senator Shuaib Salisu, explained the rationale and national significance of amending the Cybercrime (Prohibition and Prevention) Act (Amendment) Bill, 2023.
While challenging all the stakeholders invited to the public hearing to bring a wealth of knowledge, experience and diverse perspectives on cybercrime to the front burner, Senator Salisu stressed that the hearing was intended to enhance the effectiveness of the law by addressing emerging threats and strengthening existing provisions.
He pointed out that cybersecurity “is a complex and multidimensional challenge that requires a collaborative effort among the government, industry, civil society and academia.”
In its presentation, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) called for the amendment of Section 24 of the Cybercrime Act, 2015, arguing that the provisions of the Section undermine freedom of expression and press freedom.
Represented by Comrade Jide Oyekunle, Chairman of NUJ FCT Correspondents Chapel, the Union highlighted how members have been harassed, arrested and detained using provisions of Section 24 of the Act.
Meanwhile, the sponsor of the bill, and chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, Senator Shehu Umar, expressed concerns about the alarming rate of exploitation and growing threat to cybersecurity across all sectors of the Nigerian economy.
Senator Umar noted that the high cases of cybercrime had placed demands on the country to review the country’s law. He maintained that current provisions are not effective in combating cybercrimes efficiently.
“If the National Cybersecurity Programme is not effectively funded, the gains of the digital economy will be defeated. There is an urgent need for the country to amend the country cybercrime law.
“The current provisions handicapped the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigeria Police to do their work effectively” Umar added.
