Interpol’s Cybercrime Directorate in Singapore ranked the Nigeria Police Force – National Cybercrime Center first among 54 African countries in 2024. Among other achievements, the center recoverd $5.6 million in stolen funds, arrested 751 people suspected of cybercrime and seized 785 devices used in attacks.
Nigeria is the most cybercrime-affected country in Africa and has launched programs to combat crimes such as identity theft, SIM card-related crime and ransomware. The country has acted to modernize its laws to keep up with new crimes.
“We cannot succeed in the fight against cybercrime in isolation,” said Mohammed Isah, head of Interpol’s Cybercrime Operation Desk, during 2024 Cybersecurity Week. “Either from the law enforcement side, from private sector or other relevant stakeholders. We have to work together.”
Nigeria created the center in 2017 as the police hub for addressing cybercrime. In 2021, the country launched a National Public Key Infrastructure, which allows secure data exchanges by authenticating users. In response to data theft, the National Information Technology Data Agency set up a data breach investigation team and has opened digital forensic laboratories.
But Nigeria continues to face a daunting challenge. It records more than 2,560 cyberattacks weekly, according to the Nigerian Central Securities System. In 2019, a survey found that 86% of companies reported that their public cloud infrastructure had been hit by a cyberattack, the second-highest among 26 countries surveyed.
The center believes it is making an impact through arrests and relentless pressure on gangs. One operation coordinated with Interpol in 2024 targeted Nigeria’s Black Axe gang and resulted in 300 arrests, $3 million in assets seized and 720 blocked bank accounts in multiple countries.
“I can tell you clearly that the cyber criminals are not finding it easy with us,” said Commissioner of Police Uche Henry, director of the center. “They know that when it comes to fighting cybercrime, we don’t compromise at all. We give the fight our best, and we will continue to put in our best to make sure that we bring whosoever that decides to go into cybercrime to justice.”