NEWS
Why We Have Cybercrimes Upsurge in Nigeria – Authors
From Mike Tayese, Yenagoa
The Minister of State for Police Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman Ibrahim, has promised to draft Dr. Tombari Sibe and Prof. Christian Kaunert, who recently launched a book, Cybercrime, Digital Forensic Readiness and Financial Crime Investigation in Nigeria’, into Federal Government’s Committee on National Policing Policy.
Sibe, who is a lecturer in the Department of Computer Engineering, Rivers State, University, is a Cybersecurity/Digital Forensic expert, with over two decades of professional experience in Information Technology Consulting while Kaunert is Professor of International Security in the School of Law and Government, Dublin City University, Ireland.
The Minister insisted that experts like Sibe and Kaunert were needed in the committee, which she said was under formation.
She said the authors would provide inputs on cybersecurity frameworks for the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
The minister, who was represented by her Senior Technical Adviser on Policy and Strategy, Mike Imafidor, during the book launch, said the ministry was focused on driving police reforms through the integration of advanced technologies.
The Minister said: “Another significant element is the development of a national policing policy, with the committee currently being formed.
“We will extend an invitation to Dr. Sibe and Professor Kaunert to join the committee, particularly in the section focusing on cybersecurity and technology adoption within the NPF.
“The aim is to establish a framework for technology integration, avoiding isolated systems that are difficult to connect and ensuring smooth interoperability.The goal is to create a policy that guarantees the sustainability of these technological efforts”.
Sibe in a statement made available to our correspondent confirmed the development saying the book addressed the country’s unique challenges and presented a comprehensive plan for forensic readiness to fill a gap in the country’s cybersecurity infrastructure.
He said: “Most often, we look at human forensic capabilities only from a budgetary perspective—how much do we have in the budget? How much can we plan for building this registry? But we often don’t take a long-term view in terms of building financial readiness, operational readiness, or any other kind of readiness we need.
“A key outcome of this study is to establish a clear, articulated roadmap for building forensic readiness. Another important contribution is identifying knowledge, skill gaps, and training needs.
“We spoke to some of the top cybercrime investigators in this country, and special thanks go to the agencies that contributed. This allowed us to pinpoint the specific gaps that need to be filled.”
He said that the book further discussed cryptocurrency, artificial intelligence, and blockchain and highlighted the challenges and opportunities of such technologies.
Providing more insights on why they authored the book, Sibe said: “Nigeria has witnessed a surge in cybercrime incidents, and this has been quite disturbing. Apart from the financial loss suffered by victims of cybercrime, Nigeria as a nation also suffers from reputational damage.
“Despite spirited efforts by Nigeria’s law enforcement agencies, the caseloads continue to grow exponentially. This has left the nation with an unfortunate tag as one of the hotbeds of cybercrime.
“This has been further complicated by the lack of coordinated research on the actual dynamics and complexities of the cybercrime surge in Nigeria.
“Most of what we know about Nigeria’s cybercrime landscape is what is reported on the pages of the newspapers; but newspapers only tell a tiny bit of the story. So, the authors saw an obvious gap in lack of coordinated research on the nature of cybercrime in Nigeria.
“In filling this gap, we decided not just to rely on the easy part of harvesting and synthesizing mostly the anecdotal accounts from the open source, but to get a deeper perspective from the law enforcement agencies in the front lines of the fight against cybercrime. Therefore, this study was structured as a case study”.
On why cases of cybercrimes continued to increase in the country and the uniqueness of their new book, Sibe said: “One of these is the apparent lack of digital forensic resources by the cybercrime investigating institutions. While a few studies have highlighted the lack of forensic resources among financial crimes institutions in Nigeria, no study had investigated in detail the specifics of this lack, and the impact on financial crimes in Nigeria.
“In addressing this, this book investigated this from a law enforcement point of view. Specifically, the authors investigated the digital forensic readiness of the two leading institutions, responsible for investigating and prosecuting financial crimes in Nigeria—the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Nigeria Police Force.
“Good knowledge of the scale and scope of the lack of digital forensic resources is an essential first step to developing a digital forensic readiness model or digital forensic capability maturity model, and this book attempted to provide this foundational knowledge”.
Sibe, who is also a Visiting Fellow of the University of South Wales, United Kingdom, noted that the book also investigated the specifics of the caseloads and conviction records and looked out for trends and patterns supporting or refuting them.
He said the book further probed other cybercrime complexities in Nigeria, such as common cybercrime taxonomies, prosecution, and conviction dynamics, juxtaposing it with select case studies in other jurisdictions.
He recalled that the journey to the book started in 2019 when he was doing a Ph.D at the University of the Cumberlands, USA.
He expressed their gratitude to the EFCC, the Nigeria Police Force for their assistance as well as other institutions that supported the research work.
Some Economic Experts on Thursday urged the speedy intervention of the Federal Government following the hike in the Pump Price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) by the NNPC Ltd..
Checks by our correspondent showed that barely three weeks after increasing the pump price, the NNPC Retail Outlets in the FCT on Tuesday increased its fuel pump price again to N1,060 per litre as against N1,030.
our checks also revealed that most filling stations operated by the major marketers retained their old prices.
TotalEnergies and Cornoil fuel stations opposite the NNPC Ltd. Towers still sell at N1,109, Ardova Plc. and NIPCO sell at N1,125 and N1,150 respectively, while Kopdem Nig Ltd.
sell at N1,170 without queues.An oil and gas expert who spoke under annonymity, said the change by the NNPC Ltd. while other marketers maintained their former prices signified that the NNPC Ltd. was trying to catch up with the existing price.
The expert urged the Federal Government to hasten intervention measures towards assisting common Nigerians to convert their vehicles to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) to alleviate the suffering being experienced due to high price of fuel.
Also speaking with newsmen, Dr Chijioke Ekechukwu expressed worry over the adjustment of pump price, the third time in two months, adding that the increase in price was an additional stress to the hardship being experienced currently.
“We cannot over emphasise the impact these constant increases are having on the hardship being experienced by Nigerians currently.
“Disposable incomes have continued to be eroded, and the quality and standard of living are at their lowest ebb.
“I expect an urgent intervention in this regard to alleviate the sufferings of Nigerians,” he said.
Another expert, Mr Yushau Aliyu who decried inflation said the NNPC Ltd. would continue to adjust pump prices upward unless the domestic functional refineries registered their supply strategy.
“The NNPC Ltd. are bent on using inferior price models grossly influenced and guided by poor exchange rates regime and devastating inflationary measures,” he said. (NAN)
Dr Mutiu Oladele-Bukola, Veterinary Doctor at the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T), Obafemi Awolowo University, Moore Plantation, Ibadan, has called on governments to institute laws guiding abattoir operations.
Oladele-Bukola made the call in an interview on Thursday in Ibadan.
He said that governments should also enforce absolute compliance to the law for a standard operation by the abattoirs.
He said that the waste management practices in many Nigerian slaughter houses were poor, posing public health and environmental hazards to inhabitants.
According to him, open dump waste disposal and direct disposal of effluents into water bodies are still common practices in many abattoirs.
“These practices expose inhabitants and neighbouring communities to pathogens, with great risks to public health.
“Bacteria and fungi break down these organic materials to produce biomass leading to cellular multiplication.
“Most abattoir effluents are channeled to surrounding water bodies, causing water pollution.
“Many communities in Nigeria get their drinking water directly from rivers and streams that receive these effluents from abattoirs,” he said.
The veterinarian added that these water bodies also served as sources of water for farming activities, exposing plants and animals to pathogenic microbes.
“Polluted animals can lead to food-borne diseases, which could be life-threatening, especially in immune-compromised individuals,” he said.
Oladele-Bukola emphasised the need for improved sanitary conditions and optimal waste management in abattoirs across Nigeria.
He advocated a robust and holistic review of the policies and legislative framework guiding abattoir activities and management in the country.
“Efforts must be made to expedite the passage, and enforcement of the Meat Inspection and Hygiene Act, currently before the National Assembly.
“The said Act should also be reviewed to accommodate expert views on contemporary methods of waste management.
“New policies should reflect and enforce modern standards of waste treatment and disposal in line with global best practices.
“The traditional practice of floor slaughter and carcass dressing should be replaced with the rail system which ensures minimal carcass contamination,” he added.
Oladele-Bukola equally called for improved technology for waste treatment and energy conversion.
He stressed the importance of training for veterinary officers, butchers and abattoir staff for an acceptable level of hygiene and waste management.
“To attract individuals with a good level of formal education to the sector, government and major players must make abattoir jobs socially and economically appealing.
“Proper implementation of waste management systems, education of abattoir workers and enforcement of regulations and compliance to international standards, would contribute to the promotion of both public and planetary health,” Oladele-Bukola said. (NAN)
The Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola, has approved the appointment of Mr Kingsley Igwe as Registrar of Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN).
Mr Ismail Omipidan, the ministers spokesman, said this in Statement to newsmen on Thursday in Lagos.
Oyetola said the appointment was part of efforts to reposition CRFFN for better efficiency and management.
He said that Igwe, who was also the National Secretary, National Association Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), took over from the acting Registrar, Mrs Chinyere Uronta.
The appointment was announced in a letter signed on behalf of the Minister by the Director, Maritime Services, Mr Babatunde Sule.
Oyetola said that his appointment was in accordance with the relevant provisions of CRFFN Act 2007 for a duration of four years in the first instance.
He said that Igwe, from Imo State, had Master’s degree in Transportation and also an active member of the CRFFN.
The Minister stated that the appointment was with immediate effect.
Report says that in August 2024, Igwe was the best performing participant at a CRFFN training supervised by the Minister in Lagos.
It would be recalled that the Council had been enmeshed in crisis of confidence and insolvency, leading to its inability to pay salaries since January 2024.
However, Oyetola has stepped in to arrange a bailout loan for the payment of salaries till August. (NAN)
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