Godswill Akpabio

Nigeria’s Senate president, Godswill Akpabio, has lamented about the increasing spate of cybercrime in the country.

According to him, it has caused a huge financial loss and invasion of privacy in the country.

He said cybercrime became rampant in the country after some individuals with bad intentions started it some years ago.

He said the people, who first engaged in cybercrime in Nigeria, started with hacking, identity theft, fraud, harassment and cyber terrorism.

Mr Akpabio said this on Wednesday during the inauguration of a public hearing on the amendment of Cybercrime Act 2015 held at the Senate Complex, Abuja.

Mr Akpabio who was represented by the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, lamented how cybercrime has become a great menace to the Nigerian economy.

“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.

“It is imperative and strengthening the existing laws on cybercrime prohibition and prevention. 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,” the Senate President said.

Mr Akpabio therefore reiterated the need to establish a comprehensive legal framework that will include strengthening the prosecution of cyber-criminals.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on ICT and Cyber Security, Shuaib Salisu (APC, Ogun Central), said it is necessary to amend the Cybercrime Act 2015.

Mr Salisu explained that the amendment sought to strengthen the digital space operation in Nigeria.

He, therefore, called on all the stakeholders to contribute to the legislation of the amendment.