Nigeria moves against global fraud networks through UK partnership

 Gabi Hibbatullah, Abuja

Nigeria has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening international cooperation in the fight against cybercrime and digital-enabled criminal activities, describing the challenge as a critical national security and economic priority.

A Nigerian delegation made this commitment at the recent Fraud Joint Disruptions Week event in the United Kingdom (UK), where it highlighted the country’s efforts to strengthen law enforcement capacity, improve digital forensic

investigations and deepen collaboration with international partners and technology companies.

The delegation comprised officials of the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) and the Joint Case Team on Cybercrime (JCTC), established under the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.

Leading the delegation, the assistant commissioner of police (ACP), Bashir Abdullahi, who represented the inspector-general of police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, said the establishment of the NPF National Cybercrime Centre reflected Nigeria’s determination to tackle the growing threat of cybercrime through specialised law enforcement capabilities.

He explained that the centre was established to prevent, detect, investigate and disrupt cybercrime and other criminal activities facilitated by digital technology.

He said, “The NPF National Cybercrime Centre has continued to strengthen its investigative capacity, improve digital forensic capabilities, enhance inter-agency coordination and expand international partnerships to address emerging cyber threats.

“These measures have recorded significant successes, with law enforcement agencies working to ensure that perpetrators of cyber-related offences are investigated and brought to justice in accordance with the law.

“The importance of cooperation with global technology companies, including Meta, Google and Microsoft, whose platforms are widely used across different countries, cannot be overemphasised.

“The timely access to relevant information, preservation of digital evidence, effective channels for lawful information requests and proactive engagement with technology companies remained essential to the successful investigation and prosecution of cyber-enabled offences.”

Abdullahi also described the UK event as an important opportunity to strengthen practical cooperation between law enforcement agencies and the private technology sector, particularly in translating the objectives of the Nigeria-United Kingdom partnership into measurable operational outcomes.

Such collaboration, he said, would support intelligence exchange, the identification of shared criminal targets and infrastructure, coordinated enforcement operations and the development of effective disruption strategies against fraud networks operating across Africa and beyond.

Abdullahi further stressed, “The fight against cybercrime must go beyond the arrest of individual suspects to include the dismantling of the wider criminal networks that facilitate such activities.

He identified fraudulent accounts, communication channels, digital infrastructure, facilitators and illicit financial networks as critical areas requiring sustained attention by law enforcement agencies.

He said, “I hereby reaffirm Nigeria’s commitment to working with the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA), United States law enforcement agencies, Meta and other international partners to transform shared intelligence into timely, coordinated and measurable enforcement outcomes.”

The Nigerian delegation also acknowledged the growing impact of digital technology on modern society, noting that it had become indispensable to communication, commerce, innovation and social interaction.

But the delegation warned that technological advancement had also created opportunities for criminal exploitation, including online fraud, cyber-enabled financial crimes, identity theft, child exploitation, human trafficking, terrorism-related activities and other forms of transnational organised crime.

The delegation observed that these threats were increasingly sophisticated, borderless and rapidly evolving, making international cooperation essential to effective prevention, investigation and prosecution.

It noted that no single country or law enforcement institution could successfully confront the challenges in isolation, particularly as criminal networks increasingly operate across multiple jurisdictions.

Against this backdrop, the delegation highlighted the security and defence partnership between Nigeria and the United Kingdom, which provides a framework for sharing active cyber threat intelligence and conducting joint operations to disrupt criminal activities affecting both countries.

It identified Operation Rabbit Hole, Operations Seraphim 1 and 2, and the more recent Operation Cadre as examples of the benefits of coordinated international law enforcement efforts.

According to the delegation, the operations demonstrate the importance of intelligence sharing, joint planning and coordinated enforcement in tackling cybercriminal activities with cross-border dimensions.

The Nigerian delegation expressed appreciation to the organisers of the event, particularly the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency, United States law enforcement agencies and Meta, for providing a platform to strengthen cooperation, promote mutual understanding and develop practical responses to the evolving challenges of technology-enabled crime.

It maintained that sustained collaboration among governments, law enforcement institutions and technology companies would remain crucial to disrupting criminal networks, protecting citizens and safeguarding the integrity of the global digital economy.