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The Nigerian Cybercrime Conundrum
In our contemporary Nigeria, 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.
Cybercriminals always opt for an easy way to make big money.
They target rich people or rich organizations like banks, casinos
and financial firms where a huge amount of money flows daily and
hack sensitive information.
However, the Nigerian Cybercrime Act 2015 prescribes the death
penalty for an offence committed against a system or network that
has been designated critical national infrastructure of Nigeria
that results in the death of an individual (amongst other
punishments for lesser crimes).
Under the Cybercrime Act 2015 in Nigeria, hackers, if found
guilty, of unlawfully accessing a computer system or network, are
liable to a fine of up to N10 million or a term of imprisonment of
5 years (depending on the purpose of the hack). The same punishment
is also meted out to Internet fraudsters who perpetuate their acts
either by sending electronic messages or accessing and using data
stored on computer systems.
A cybercrime prevention expert, Dr Mohamed Chawki, who also
doubles as President of the International Association of Cybercrime
Prevention, explains that the term 419 “is coined from section 419
of the Nigerian criminal code dealing with fraud. Nowadays, the
axiom ‘419’ generally refers to a complex list of offences which in
ordinary parlance are related to stealing, cheating, falsification,
impersonation, counterfeiting, forgery and fraudulent
representation of facts.”
It is no more news that there is a long-standing demonization of
Nigeria as being a country of cyber-criminals and internet
fraudsters among other vices. As worrisome as unfortunate the
generalisation, mostly in the media, there are many Nigerians that
engage in the use of ICT to advance common good.
Therefore, the stigma of generalisation has a far-reaching
negative impact on the overall image of Nigeria as a nation. It’s
become the prism with which most Nigerians are viewed and judged
globally.
Majority of Nigerians have relayed the negative experiences they
have undergone in foreign nations due to a prejudicial opinion of
coming from a nation of fraudsters. There are many references in
popular culture to the “Nigerian Prince Email Scam”, leaving many
who encounter such media to assume the worst of Nigeria and her
citizens.
The rate of arrests carried out by operatives of the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in recent months related to
cybercrime is nothing short of alarming. Hundreds of individuals
have been taken into custody for crimes relating to various forms
of internet related schemes and frauds.
Nigeria’s Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo urges stakeholders in
Nigeria’s cyberspace to help curtail cybercrime in the country by
sharing cybersecurity best practices and ensuring speedy
implementation of requisite policies.
The truth of the situation is that no Nigerian is immune to both
the victimisation of cybercrime and the reputational damage that
ensues from it. We must put heads together as a nation to tackle
this issue from its root and rebrand our nation to be seen as full
of people of integrity, honour and good-faith practices.
The government must provide necessary infrastructure and
supportive environment for the youth to enable them establish and
practice legitimate business ventures. There must also be active
reorientation of the mind of the young ones on the values of
patiently building sustainable income as opposed to aiming to amass
wealth through any means possible including the illegitimate.
As a current practice, legislators should move to establish very
harsh punishments for citizens who are found to be in breach of
cybercrime laws. This move should serve as a reliable deterrent to
anyone who considers turning to cybercrime in its many forms to
deprive innocent people of their hard-earned money.
Emmanuel Otiotio Jnr is an intern with PRNigeria[1] and can be reached on
otiotioemmanuel@gmail.com