Judiciary
A former Publicity Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mr. Douglas Ogbankwa, has urged the government to “drive” public enlightenment on the Cybercrime Act 2015, in a bid to check the spate of cyber fraud in the country.
Ogbankwa told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday, in Lagos, that the Cybercrime Act 2015 was an adequate regulatory law on cybercrime in Nigeria, but which was being observed more in the breach as its implementation had been “far in-between”.
He decried the rising wave of internet fraud, hacking, cyberstalking, and other forms of cybercrimes, observing that their prevalence in society, largely stemmed from ignorance of the existence of this vital legislation.
“The first clog in the wheel of progress in the fight against cyber fraud is the absence of public enlightenment on the existence of the Cybercrime Act 2015.
“Many culprits are unaware that they are involved in criminal activities when they engage in cyberbullying, cyberstalking or posting of outright falsehoods on the Internet.
“Some of them especially those referred to as“ ”yahoo boys”, do not even know that duping victims through electronic devices is a special crime that has unlimited territorial jurisdiction, ”he said.
According to Ogbankwa, it was now instructive for government to ensure sufficient public awareness on the cybercrime regulation, so as to “save the face” of the nation from criminal conduct especially by youths.
“To this end, we call on the relevant government agencies, to embark on massive information dissemination on the issue, to enlighten citizens as to their rights and obligations involving cybercrimes, so as to reduce the prevalence of this “hydra-headed” problem in our society,” he said. (NAN)
– June 01, 2021 @ 12:49 GMT
Tags: Ex-NBA publicity scribe canvasses public enlightenment on cyber crime legislation
