Nigeria Joins Budapest Convention On Cybercrime

Nigeria has joined the 66-member countries of Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, to enhance international cooperation.

The National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno (Rtd), said Nigeria officially ratified its membership on July 6, 2022 after five-year efforts to fulfil the requirements.

A statement by the Head, Strategic Communication, Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Zakari Usman, said the development follows the approval of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday, June 29, 2022, and the signing of the instrument of accession by President Muhammadu Buhari as well as transmission to the Council of Europe on July 6, 2022.

Nigeria had enacted the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc.) Act 2015 as the legal framework for the codification of criminal activities in the cyberspace.

The Act was aimed at guaranteeing, among others, the safe use of the cyberspace and minimise the attendant risks to online platforms and critical infrastructure with consequential negative impact.

As part of efforts to implement the provisions of the law, the federal government developed a comprehensive National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy (NCPS) 2021, establishment of the Nigerian Computer Emergency Response Team (ngCERT) and the National Digital Forensic Laboratory, amongst others.

“As an essential component of the Act, Section 41(2b) provides for conformity of the Nigerian cybercrime and cybersecurity laws and policies with regional as well as international standards.

“The objective is to support and be part of international cooperation in addressing the menace of cybercrime.

“This is considering the cross-border nature of cybersecurity threats and the dire need for synergy as well as effective collaboration with the international community to tackle the ever-increasing challenge,” Usman said.

He said it was against this background and the ongoing efforts to strengthen the global architecture of cybersecurity, that the Council of Europe invited Nigeria to accede to the Convention on Cybercrime, also known as the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, in July 2017.

“Thereafter, the Nigerian Government collaborated with the Council of Europe to provide the necessary frameworks to meet the requirements for the final accent to the Convention.

“Consequently, Nigeria joined 66 other countries across the world that have signed and ratified the Convention on Cybercrime on 6 July, 2022.

“Among other benefits, the ratification will enhance international cooperation, provide common platform and procedural law tools for efficient investigations of cybercrimes, as well as the preservation and transfer of electronic evidence as appropriate in relation to any crime.

“It will also automatically make Nigeria a priority hub for cybercrime capacity building programmes,” he said.