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A Review of the National Cybercrime Law and its Attendant Impact on National Security in Nigeria
Abstract
This paper is a study on the issues in cybercrime, offences and penalties, and challenges that provoke cyber policy established in Nigeria. It seeks to define what cybersecurity and cybercrimes are from the perspective of the National cybercrime law. The focus of this study, however, is to highlight crimes or offences considered to have an impact on national security, the related issues, the effects of cybercrimes, challenges, and prospects. The study concludes that the leading causes propelling Nigerians to indulge in cybercrimes are disorientation and the rate of unemployment
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Modern tools of connectivity have afforded disadvantaged youth across the globe
the opportunity to collectively share and curate challenges and build up strategies to
protest marginalization. This argument is however sharply divided between techoptimists, who argue that social media remove all forms of barrier and empower
average members of society and tech-pessimists who argue that social media discourage people from actively seeking change. This article wades into this discourse
by looking at the claims of police abuse by Nigerian youth on social media. For
decades, police abuse of powers has remained a subject of interest in academic and
human rights circles. This interest has perhaps been amplified by online social movements. In Nigeria, this abuse is well documented in the #EndSARS campaign, which
has lasted for three years with little success. In disparity to most academic studies
that investigate success of online movement, this study critically inspects the limitation of the #EndSARS campaign by assessing how Nigeria's political environment can
serve as a possible hindrance to successful movements. This research therefore
answers two questions: What are the dominant themes in Nigeria's #EndSARS campaign? What are the limitations to activism in Nigeria?
Over the years, the alarming growth of the internet and its wide acceptance has led to increase in security threats. In Nigeria to- day, several internet assisted crimes known as cybercrimes are committed daily in various forms such as fraudulent electronic mails, pornography, identity theft, hacking, cyber harassment, spamming, Automated Teller Machine spoofing, piracy and phishing. Cybercrime is a threat against vari- ous institutions and people who are connected to the internet either through their computers or mobile technologies. The exponential increase of this crime in the society has become a strong issue that should not be overlooked. The impact of this kind of crime can be felt on the lives, economy and international reputation of a nation. Therefore, this paper focuses on the prominent cybercrimes carried out in the various sectorsin Nigeria and presents a brief analysis of cybercrimes in tertiary institutions in Ekiti-State. In conclusion, detection and prevention techniques are highlighted in order to combat cybercrimes in Nigeria.
Arising from digital culture that is fast developing and being used for service delivery in all sectors of the Nigeria's economy such as e-banking, e-businesses, e-education, e-government, and the likes, which led to the emergence of sophisticated cybercrimes threatening the cyber space, this paper advocated for cyber ethics education as a means of preventing cybercrimes. This is in addition to the cybercrimes bill that is being awaited to become law for the punishment of cyber criminals. It examined the growth of digital operations and services in Nigeria, traced the emergence of cybercrimes in the country and described cyber security and protection. The current state of cyber security and protection in Nigeria, the concept of cyber ethics, and the imperative of cyber ethics education for prevention of cybercrimes and security of cyber space in Nigeria were also discussed. The paper concluded that the introduction of cyber ethics education will go a long way in addressing the menace of cybercrimes in Nigeria. Some recommendations, among which is the articulation and integration of cyber ethics education in the programme of all levels of education in Nigeria, were made.
Cyber-space refers to the boundless space known as the internet. Cyber-security is the body of rules put in place for the protection of the cyber space. Cyber-crime refers to the series of organized crime attacking both cyber space and cyber security. The Internet is one of the fastest-growing areas of technical infrastructure development. Over the past decades, the growth of the internet and its use afforded everyone this opportunity. Google, Wikipedia and Bing to mention a few, give detailed answers to millions of questions every day. Cyberspace is a world that contains just about anything one is searching for. With the advent of these advancements in information accessibility and the advantages and applications of the internet comes an exponentially growing disadvantage-Cyber Crime. Cyber security has risen to become a national concern as threats concerning it now need to be taken more seriously. This paper attempts to provide an overview of Cybercrime and Cyber-security. It defines the concept of cybercrime, identify reasons for cyber-crime and its eradication. It look at those involved and the reasons for their involvement. Methods of stepping up cyber security and the recommendations that would help in checking the increasing rate of cyber-crimes were highlighted. The paper also attempts to name some challenges of cybercrime and present practical and logical solutions to these threats.
The evolution of the Internet amidst a rapidly growing global economy has created a completely new environment in which traditional crime prospers. Equally the convergence of computing and communication has changed the way we live, communicate and commit crime. Cybercriminals in Nigeria commonly known as “419 scammers”; a word coined from the Nigerian criminal code that penalises people from obtaining money under false pretense cost the Nigerian consumer $13.5 billion dollars in losses in 2012. (Clarke, 2004, Sesan et al., 2012; Grabosky, 2001;).
Previous studies have focused on the causes and effects of cybercrime in Nigeria (Hassan et al., 2012; Adesina, 2017); laws penalising against misuse of computer (Olusola et. al., 2013b; Saulawa & Abubakar, 2014) and have focused relatively on financial cost and socio-economic effects of cybercrime (WITFOR, 2005; Sesan et. al., 2012). Even though some studies have tried to explore cybercrime from the perspective of law enforcement Agencies in the UAE and Jordan (Maghairah, 2009; Alkaabi, 2010), none has been done holistically from the view of law enforcement and members of the Cybercrime Advisory Council in Nigeria.
Adopting a classical criminological framework of Routine Activity Theory (RAT), this thesis examined particularly cyber-enabled crime of advance fee fraud in Nigeria within the scope of RAT which argued that for crime to take place, three requirements must be present namely; a motivated offender, a suitable target and an absence of a capable guardian. The thesis examined the factors that motivates an offender and what elements makes a target (i.e. victim or computer) suitable for a crime. In the process, it considers the suitability of a law enforcement officer and some members of the Cybercrime Advisory Council (CAC) as capable guardians and what factors limits their capabilities in mitigating the activities of cybercriminals.
The research has been framed on an interpretivist paradigm and relativist philosophical stance, with focus on an inductive qualitative approach involving semi-structured interviews and documentation. These involved policy makers, members of parliament, telecommunications and ICT regulators on one hand; and investigators, prosecutors, forensic analyst and media practitioners particularly from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which is a leading law enforcement agency in the fight against cybercrime. The multi-dimensional evidence explains the role played by each of the stakeholders, the measures and partnership deployed in tackling cybercrime, and the challenges and recommendations needed in the international effort to tackle cybercrime globally.
Findings suggests that the proliferation and lack of effective policing of the internet enabled by the greed of individuals and lack of enforcement and collaboration of relevant stakeholders has led to financial losses to victims. The findings further show how lack of proper education and awareness of individuals, and adequate training and provision of tools for law enforcement officers contributes to the high prevalence of cybercrime in Nigeria.
Evidence is provided that documents the way members of the Cybercrime Advisory Council and especially the EFCC have attempted to overcome these challenges through partnership, capacity building and enforcement of relevant laws and policies aimed at addressing the issue of cybercrime in Nigeria. The findings of this research could help in understanding the implication of technology in crime detection and prevention, and also contribute to adhering to policies and international conventions in limiting the negative impact of cybercrime. The findings equally extends the criminological understanding of online deviant behaviours and furthers the current discussion on the role of law enforcement in policing the Internet
Cyberthreat real-time map: Statistics
- Kaspersky
Kaspersky
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An Overview of Comtemporary Cyberpace Activities and the Challenging Cyberspace Crimes/Threats
- S O Oluga
- A Haji-Admad
- A J Alnagrat
- S O Haroon
- M Abdullah-Sawad
- B M Nur Adiya
S. O. Oluga, A. Haji-Admad, A. J. Alnagrat, S. O. Haroon, M. Abdullah-Sawad and B. M. Nur Adiya, "An Overview of Comtemporary Cyberpace Activities
and the Challenging Cyberspace Crimes/Threats," International Journal of Computer Science and Information Security, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 62-100, March 2014.
Cybersecurity Challenges in Nigeria: The way forward
- J C Oforji
- E J Udensi
- K C Ibegbu
J. C. Oforji, E. J. Udensi and K. C. Ibegbu, "Cybersecurity Challenges in Nigeria: The way forward," SosPoly Journal of Science & Agriculture, vol. II, pp. 1-5,
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ECOWAS Court Declares 'Nigeria's Cybercrime Act Section 24 Vague, Arbitrary, Unlawful'," Sahara Reporters
- Sahara Reporters
Sahara Reporters, "ECOWAS Court Declares 'Nigeria's Cybercrime Act Section 24 Vague, Arbitrary, Unlawful'," Sahara Reporters, 22 March 2023. [Online].
Available: https://saharareporters.com/2023/03/22/ecowas-court-declares-nigerias-cybercrime-act-section-24-vague-arbitrary-unlawful. [Accessed July 2023].