Nigeria is considered the African country hosting the highest number of scammers. However, sometimes the scammers tarnishing its image are based abroad. Hence, to extend their capacity to effectively deal with the issue, national authorities bet on international cooperation. 

Nigeria recently took a major step forward in its fight against cybercrime. The country officially joined the list of the 66 countries that signed the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, National Security Adviser (NSA) Babagana Monguno announced on August 24.  

According to his statement, the convention is signed weeks after President Muhammadu Buhari authorized it (on July 6), following the approval of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on June 29.

Nigeria is actively engaged in the fight against cybercrimes. In 2015, it passed the Cybercrime Act providing an “ effective, unified and comprehensive legal, regulatory and institutional framework for the prohibition, prevention, detection, prosecution and punishment of cybercrimes in Nigeria.”

Six years later, the federal government elaborated the National Cyber Security Policy and Strategy (NCPS 2021) and established the Nigerian Computer Emergency Response Team (ngCERT) and the National Digital Forensics Laboratory.

Thanks to the Budapest Convention, it will "support and be part of international cooperation in addressing the menace of cybercrime. This is considering the cross-border nature of cybersecurity threats and the dire need for synergy as well as effective collaboration with the international community to tackle the ever-increasing challenge,” indicated Babagana Monguno.

The Budapest Convention, also known as the Convention on Cybercrime, is the first international treaty to combat Internet crime by harmonizing national laws, improving investigative techniques, and enhancing cooperation among nations.

Samira Njoya