With effective deterrents to cyber crimes lacking, Nigeria is at the mercy cyber criminals- the gang of unarmed but lethal criminals hiding under the anonymity of the county’s cyber space.
The unchecked activities of these dangerous criminals are near plague.
Experts said that there is a likely nexus between cyber crime and a variety of other threats including; cyber terrorism; industrial espionage; and foreign intelligence services.
In Nigeria effective deterrents to cyber crime are not known; available; or accessible law enforcement personnel, many of whom underestimate the scope and severity of the problem.
Cyber crimes have continued to thrive in Nigeria because of the unguarded nature of the country’s internet topology that allows people to get access from just anywhere in the world.
The bad after taste of cybercrime and the unseriousness of Nigeria to address the monster has continued to haunt the country both economically and social-politically.
Cybercrime has led to confidence problems with Nigeria losing outsourcing, foreign investment among others.
Reliable estimates are hard to come by but a study by a study by Paradigm Shift Initiative Nigeria (PIN) ─ a social enterprise committed to connecting Nigerian youths with ICT opportunities established that Nigerian consumers lost a total of N1.246trn to cybercrime in 2012.
Checking cyber crime is not rocket science or extreme engineering; it basically starts with proper definition of Nigeria’s internet topology.
Nigeria also needs to strengthen her regulatory authority or set up a special arm to respond to security issues.
Importantly, there is need for government to shore up its IT literacy because it is widely believed that cybercrime thrives because government and its enforcement authorities lack IT knowledge to tackle the menace.
The government should also be willing to increase her cybersecurity budget like other countries that have made spending in that her area their largest chunks.
Importantly, federal government and federal lawmakers to ensure the quick passage of the harmonised 2011 Cyber Security Bill because all the required ingredients to fight cyber crime are encapsulated in the all important document.
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