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How to checkmate cybercriminals and make online space safer for users in Nigeria was the thrust of a recent parley with stakeholders in Abuja by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) led by its Director-General, Mr. Kashifu Inuwa Abdullah.
Abdullah said cybercrime was on the rise and failure to combat the threats may undermine not only the country’s interaction online but also raise credibility challenges for Nigeria.
A huge number of young people in Nigeria are increasingly drawn cybercrimes according to some reports citing rising unemployment rates, urbanization and low awareness of cybercrime threats by the increasing population of organisation and individuals going online in Nigeria.
“There is urgent need to change the perception other countries have on Nigeria and Nigerians as cybercrimes within range from yahoo boys and their 419 Internet frauds to hacking, software piracy, pornography, credit card or ATM fraud, denial of service attack, virus dissemination, phishing, cyber plagiarism, cyberstalking, and cyber defamation,” said Abdullah to set the agenda for the parley.
The NITDA’s boss told the stakeholders of a dire need to begin to have a proactive approach to addressing the challenges of cybercrime.
His words: “We need to put strategies and structures in place that will help to reduce cybercrime and restore the confidence of investors in our country”
