Mr. Ola Olukoyede, the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has announced that the agency has secured 500 convictions in cybercrimes in recent months.
He made the statement during a meeting with a delegation from the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol).
According to a statement by EFCC spokesman Dele Oyewale, Olukoyede highlighted the EFCC’s role as one of Nigeria’s leading anti-corruption agencies with a specific mandate to investigate cybercrimes.
He emphasised the agency’s success in securing convictions, with over 500 achieved in the last few months alone.
His words: “EFCC, apart from the police, is one of the prominent, specialised anti-corruption agencies in Nigeria that has the mandate to investigate cybercrimes, and we have been doing that.
“In the last few months, we have secured over 500 convictions in cybercrimes. Over the years, we have had cause to collaborate with (America’s) Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the (United Kingdom’s) National Crime Agency (NCA) and other prominent law enforcement agencies in the world in the area of combating cybercrime.
“We are much ready to do more and also to encourage the heads of the world to give access to information.”
In response, Mr. Craig Jones, the leader of the Interpol delegation, acknowledged the growing recognition of cybercrime as a national security threat.
He highlighted the financial motivations behind cybercrimes and emphasised their significant impact on countries and communities.
“I think many countries now recognise that cybercrime is actually a national security threat to countries.
“This goes hand in hand with financial crimes because the main motivation of cybercrime normally for the criminals is that financial gain and the impact that it makes on the countries and our communities is massive,” he stated.