Police cyber hawks secures 12 convictions

The Director of the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Center (NPF-NCCC), CP Uche Ifeanyi Henry, has said fighting cybercrime is a collective responsibility of every well-meaning citizen.

He also revealed that the Center has secured 12 convictions in just a few months while many cybercriminals are still being prosecuted in court.

CP Ifeanyi disclosed this in an interview with newsmen at the Force Headquarters in Abuja after a Cybersecurity Awareness Walk to mark the beginning of activities lined up for the 2024 Cybersecurity Week, with the theme, “Secure Our World.”

The Cybersecurity Week is aimed at educating the public on the importance of digital security and the steps they can take to protect themselves in an increasingly connected world.

CP Henry said, “The Nigeria Police Force National Security Cyber Crime requires collective responsibility and all hands on deck. Everybody must come together, all agencies, because the trend is going high.

“So many young stars are getting involved, so many youths are getting involved, so it is not something that the Nigerian Police or National Cybercrime Centre can do alone. But we are the lead agency in everything that has to do with investigation, and of course, the investigation of cybercrime in particular.

“That is why we are leading and leading very well. And I thank the government for investing so much in us to be able to fight this, having the state-of-the-art facility, having the required technology, all that we need to be able to fight this crime.

“The government has done tremendously well in empowering us. I will continue to fight this crime head-on.”

According to the CP, the Center, in its effort to stop cybercrime in Nigeria, is carrying out sustained advocacy against the ills of this cankerworm.

To this effect, he said the Center is working with the Data Protection Commission, Nigeria Immigration Services (NIS), National Identity Management Commission, and we are also working with our coordinators, the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Nigerian Information Technology Agency (NITDA), and all relevant bodies.

According to CP Henry, fighting cybercrime is not something that an entity or an institution can fight alone.

On collaboration with foreign agencies, he noted that the Center is faring very well here.

He said,”I just returned from France to discuss areas of collaboration with other foreign colleagues. And if you noticed this morning, during the walk, you saw representatives from the British National Crime Agency that participated, the UNODC; they were all here, and other colleagues from other embassies.

“Because cybercrime is a global problem. It is a borderless crime, and the only way we can fight it is for us to work with other jurisdictions, you know, colleagues from other places, other jurisdictions, so that we will be able to reduce this crime.”

While talking about their achievements so far, the Director said, “We have recovered lots and lots of funds for victims of cybercrime. We have been able to prosecute a lot of suspects, a lot of threat actors. Just a few months ago, we had about 12 convictions, and we recovered a lot of money, and as we speak, we still have a lot of cases that are under prosecution.

“I can tell you clearly that the cybercriminals are not finding it easy with us, and that is why we discovered that most of them are relocating from Nigeria to neighbouring countries in West Africa.

“They know that when it comes to fighting cybercrime, we do not compromise at all. We put in our best and give it our best, and we will continue to put in our best to make sure that we bring whosoever decides to go into cybercrime before the law court.”

Earlier, the CP said the Cybersecurity Week 2024 is for the NPF-NCCC to create awareness about the ills of cybercrime. “Because we discovered that a lot of youths are getting involved in this crime, and some of them do not even know what they are doing.

“Some just go into the crime because their colleagues or friends are into cybercrime. Some are motivated by the way of life of those that have made money from cybercrime. So there are a whole lot of factors.

“We looked at the rising trend, and we decided that the only way we, the Nigerian Police Force, can actually fight this cybercrime is to sensitise our people. That is why the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, said we must sensitise people; we must talk to people and let people know what to do and how to stay safe online. Because the crime is on the increase.”

CP Henry further counselled on what to do when one identifies some of the behavioural patterns of cybercriminals.

He said, “If you notice this online, you should be able to back out. If someone calls you and tells you that you have a six-digit number and that you should give him back the six-digit number for him or her to activate your Zoom meeting, common sense should tell you that if you want to have a Zoom meeting, you don’t need to give anybody a six-digit number. You should be able to know.

“And if someone calls you and says that you have won one million Naira, meanwhile you did not have any lottery or anything, why should you give out your confidential information? When you see some of these things, you should know that it is a red flag, and you should be able to back out on time, or else you are going to lose everything that you have. That is the whole idea.”