Nigeria Must Not Stand As Passive Observer In War Against Cybercrime — Fagbemi

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Olasunkanmi Fagbemi, SAN, has called for a united and coordinated national front against the growing wave of cybercrime, warning that Nigeria can no longer afford to be “a passive observer in this war without borders.”

Fagbemi, who was represented by the Director of the Solicitors Department at the Federal Ministry of Justice, Mrs Gladys Odegbaro, made the call while delivering his keynote address at the Annual Cybercrimes Awareness Campaign and the 2nd National Consultations on the Cybercrimes Legal Framework in Nigeria, held in Abuja.

The five-day forum, themed “Towards a Coordinated and Informed National Response to Cybercrime,” brought together lawmakers, law enforcement agencies, the judiciary, civil society, and international partners to strengthen Nigeria’s response to the growing cyber threat.

Quoting the late Kofi Annan’s words, “Knowledge is power. Information is liberating,” Fagbemi noted that the statement rings truer today, when information itself has become weaponised. “Globally, 72 per cent of organisations face rising cyber risks, with damages projected to hit 10.5 trillion US dollars annually by 2025,” he said. “In Nigeria, the danger is escalating 4,388 cyberattacks weekly in the first quarter of 2025 alone, a 47 per cent increase, ranking us fifth globally in cybercrime and costing the nation about 500 million US dollars annually.”

Fagbemi described cybercrime as “a trillion-dollar threat to the global economy” that strikes directly at Nigeria’s youth, businesses, and national stability. “Behind every statistic is a story of a student defrauded, a business crippled, a child exploited online,” he said. “For a nation positioning itself as Africa’s digital hub, this is not merely a criminal justice issue; it is an existential development challenge.”

He revealed that the federal government was reviewing the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015 and developing two new legislative instruments focused on cybercrime as a criminal justice framework, cybersecurity governance, and critical infrastructure protection.

“These twin bills,” he explained, “will establish a modern legal architecture aligned with global best practices and international conventions such as the Budapest Convention and the 2024 United Nations Convention on Cybercrime, ensuring that Nigeria’s digital sovereignty is safeguarded under the rule of law.”

Highlighting progress in institutional coordination, he commended establishing the Joint Case Team on Cybercrimes JCTC a multi-agency mechanism linking the Ministry of Justice, law enforcement, forensic experts, and the judiciary. Since its inauguration earlier this year, the JCTC has become “Nigeria’s operational bridge to international cooperation,” working through the Budapest Convention’s 24/7 Network and the Mutual Legal Assistance framework.

He outlined three key priorities for Nigeria’s cyber response partnership: awareness and legislative resilience.

“Cybercrime is transnational and technologically sophisticated,” he said. “Our response must therefore be inter-agency, cross-sectoral, and globally networked. Every citizen is a potential target and therefore a potential defender.”

He urged that cyber hygiene education be embedded in schools and communities, stressing that young people are often the most vulnerable and represent the country’s most potent allies in ensuring a safer digital space.

Also at the event, the Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice, Mrs Beatrice Jedy-Agba, who Mrs Gladys Odegbaro also represented, said the campaign and consultation reaffirm Nigeria’s commitment to building a safe and trusted cyberspace.

“Cybercrime has become one of the most pressing challenges of our time,” Jedy-Agba said. “As Nigeria becomes more digitally connected, cybercriminals have unfortunately become more sophisticated. Laws alone are insufficient; public awareness, preventive education, and effective enforcement must go hand in hand.”

She noted that the forum reflects the government’s holistic approach by combining public awareness with legislative reform, emphasising that no single institution can fight cybercrime in isolation.

Jedy-Agba commended the collaboration among the National Assembly, law enforcement agencies, regulators, the judiciary, academia, and civil society, describing it as “evidence of the multi-stakeholder synergy needed to achieve lasting results.”