The EFCC, which is like Nigeria’s police for money and internet problems, is really worried about bad people on the internet. In 2022, these internet tricksters took over $500 million from Nigeria!
EFCC’s big boss, Ola Olukoyede, talked about this at a special meeting about keeping the internet safe. The meeting was called the 2024 National Cybersecurity Summit and it had a long name: “Alternatives to Cybercrimes; Optimizing Cyber Skills for National Development.” It was put together by the EFCC with some help from friends in Europe.
During his speech, Mr. Olukoyede said, “Wow! Nigeria lost a lot of money because of cybercrime – over $500 million just in one year!”
He also mentioned that these crimes are messing up the country’s law system. He said, “When I started as the leader, a lot of people were caught for cybercrimes, like a whole army of 3,455 people.”
Not just Nigeria, but the whole world is losing a lot to cybercrime. Mr. Olukoyede said, “Experts say cybercrime may cost the world a gigantic $10.5 trillion!”
Cybercrimes are happening all the time, like every minute! He explained, “If cybercrime was a country, it would be the third richest in the world with about 2,328 crimes happening every single day!” That’s scary if we don’t do something about it.
Getting Young People Involved in Good Stuff
Many people doing these bad things online are young, and Mr. Olukoyede talked about guiding them towards good work. He said, “Hey kids, instead of tricking people online, why not make cool apps and helpful tech that can bring better benefits?”
Olukoyede wants everyone, not just the EFCC, to help fight cybercrime. He said state leaders should jump in and help out too.
He also talked about how young people wanting quick money are losing out on real dreams like starting businesses or inventing new things.
Mr. Danladi Plang, another expert, said maybe we need fresh ideas to deal with cybercrime. Arresting and jailing haven’t solved the problem. He said, “Let’s find new ways for young people to use technology for good.”
Things You Should Know
As Nigeria fights cybercrime, the United States set up a special place at its embassy in Abuja to help out.
- This place is meant to work closely with Nigeria’s EFCC to stop internet crimes.
- Ambassador Mills from the U.S. said they really want to help Nigeria beat cybercrime and make the internet a safer place.
- He said, “We’re here to make sure our ties grow stronger in democracy and trade. Our new office will help us work better with the EFCC against cybercrime.”
- The office will help by giving the EFCC tips, training, and tools.
This will make it easier for them to catch and stop online crimes and make Nigeria better at handling these bad internet problems.