Nigeria Needs Political Will, Commitment To Curb Cybercrime – Saraki

The immediate past President of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki, has said Nigeria needs a strong political will, commitment from law enforcement agencies, the judiciary and other citizens to successfully tackle cybercrime which has brought disrepute to the image of the nation.

Saraki said this in an article posted on his Twitter handle on Wednesday.

Recall that some Nigerians in recent times were arrested in connection with cybercrime, among whom was Raymond Abbas, popularly known as Hushpuppi, who was arrested in Dubai for allegedly committing internet fraud amounting to 1.6 billion dirham (N168bn).

Saraki stated that these Nigerian fraudsters were becoming bolder and daring in their nefarious activities and the operations of the nation’s law enforcement agencies had not been able to effectively checkmate ‘these shameful ambassadors.’

The former senator from Kwara Central Senatorial District said the rate at which Nigerians were involved in cyber scam was alarming.

He stressed that very urgent and concerted efforts from all Nigerians were needed to redeem the image of the country while stating that the law enforcement agents must have an in depth understanding of technology to be able to nab the criminals.

The former lawmaker explained that despite that many Nigerians were doing exploits in many areas including technology, the activities of the few criminally minded Nigerians had dented the image of the country and had brought pains to innocent Nigerians.

The ex-Senate President also said that the activities of Nigerian internet fraudsters were hindering foreign investments into the country because some of the prospective investors believed that the nation was not serious about addressing the problem.

One of the ways out of the menace, Saraki said, was to review the education system, saying emphasis should be shifted from possessions of certificates to skill acquisition 

Saraki said, “Our law enforcement agencies should devise and evolve a more comprehensive approach of investigating, prosecuting and getting the judiciary to punish incidents of cybercrimes as quickly as possible. Such an approach will involve working with foreign countries for a free flow of actionable intelligence and the modification of legal and regulatory frameworks. Both the law enforcement agencies and the judiciary should work on processes and procedures that will quickly determine cases involving cybercrime.

“Transparent, efficient and prompt delivery of justice in such cases will change the impression held in the international community that these type of crimes are festering in our country because we treat them with levity. It may be necessary for our various law enforcement agencies to embark on ambitious and aggressive training programmes aimed at equipping investigators, prosecutors and judges who will be handling cases involving cybercrime with digital forensic skills.

“Cybercrime is a sophisticated, modern and dynamic criminal activity. The perpetrators are usually smart, intelligent and have an uncanny understanding of their devious game. It takes an investigator with a better understanding of the tools and techniques, to track them down and prove their guilt.

“To tackle this kind of challenge, we do not require oil prices to rise or dollar exchange rate to the naira to be lower…What is needed is the commitment on the part of everybody and the political will. We need a unity of purpose to re-orientate our youths and reset our national values.”