Nigeria has been grappling with cybercrime challenge for a while now. More challenging, however, is the fact that the landscape now deeply involves foreign nationals. While the law enforcement agencies have intensified their efforts at tackling the challenge, the rise in the level of sophistication of the illegal digital operations has continued to test the nation’s resolve. OLUDARE RICHARDS speaks with experts on reasons cybercrime is still proving difficult to tame in the country.
Recent police operations underscore the rising cases of cybercrime in the country.
In a crackdown on perpetrators in Abuja by security agencies, 130 people, comprising 113 foreign nationals, predominantly from China and Malaysia, and 17 Nigerians, were arrested for their alleged involvement in cybercrimes, including hacking. A previous raid in Lagos in December 2024, described as the most massive in a day led to the arrest of over 700 people, including 158 foreign nationals.
There have been many similar operations across the country during which foreigners have been arrested. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has prosecuted and secured convictions for many of the culprits who have been sentenced to imprisonment for offences ranging from cyber-terrorism to economic sabotage and Internet fraud. Many of them have been deported upon completion of their years in prison.
It was gathered that many of these cases frequently involve the recruitment of Nigerian youths in identity theft and impersonation of foreigners to perpetrate financial fraud, thereby violating provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention) Act.
The scope of cybercrime affliction of Nigeria is broad, encompassing unauthorised access to computer systems and networks, various online fraud, identity theft, cyber-terrorism aimed at disrupting critical infrastructure, money laundering to conceal illicit gains, and deceptive online marketing practices.
Innovation and Technology Policy Advisor and founder of Jidav.com, Jide Awe noted that though cybercrime is a global concern, the increasing involvement of foreign nationals is significantly expanding the threat in Nigeria, making the situation particularly troubling.
Awe asserted that to truly thrive as a nation in this era, Nigeria must actively shape and secure its digital future, rather than leaving it to chance or external influences. He stated that technology or innovation without trust poses a threat, not progress.
According to him, cybercrime has become a persistent challenge capable of hindering Nigeria’s social, economic and digital transformation goals. Awe said the rising involvement of foreign nationals in large-scale cyber fraud operations should prompt serious questions about existing cybersecurity regulations and laws, as well as enforcement strategies and capacity in Nigeria.
“I strongly recommend a multi-stakeholder review and update of the Cybercrimes Act. This is crucial to account for new technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, blockchain misuse, and deepfake-enabled fraud, which are increasingly employed by sophisticated cybercrime rings. These updates should specifically empower security agencies to detect, prevent, and disrupt foreign-led cybercrime networks,” he said.
The expert, who expressed sadness over the exploitation of Nigerian youth in the criminal operations, viewed it as a misuse of their immense creativity and intelligence that is caused by failure to provide them with positive alternatives. He stressed the importance of providing appropriate mentorship and support so that the youth can become cybersecurity experts, ‘ethical hackers’, innovators, and digital entrepreneurs, rather than cyber criminals or recruits for criminal syndicates.
He craved support for initiatives that can incentivize innovation by the youth and steer them away from cybercrime to innovation-driven careers. This includes mentoring and empowering the young Nigerians not just for tech and cybersecurity careers, but also to prevent their recruitment by criminal syndicates.
Awe also highlighted the urgent need to invest in local cybersecurity startups, especially youth-led ones, to encourage them to produce innovative solutions that can assist law enforcement agencies, civil society, and the public in cyber threat detection and prevention.
Curbing foreigners-led cybercrime, he stated, requires a concerted effort beyond just law enforcement, demanding tighter immigration and business controls, enhanced cross-border investigations, extradition agreements, and faster prosecution. He suggested exploration of tech diplomacy to engage embassies and international partners for accountability, promotion of relevant intelligence sharing and coordinated enforcement the across borders. He said cybersecurity, particularly the operation against foreigners-led cybercrime, should be placed high on the national development and security agenda.
Awe asserted that to truly thrive as a nation in this era, Nigeria must actively shape and secure its digital future, rather than exposing it to external influences. He stated that technology or innovation without trust poses a threat, not progress.
Criminology and Security Studies expert at the Alex Ekwueme Federal University in Ebonyi State, Professor Smart Otu, attributed the prevalence of cybercrime committed by foreign nationals in Nigeria to the country’s weak law enforcement and loopholes in legislation.
According to Otu, transnational crime is a global phenomenon, and Nigeria’s porous borders and corrupt system make it an attractive haven for foreign criminals who exploit these weaknesses. He emphasised the need for a multidimensional approach to understanding crime, involving various sectors such as Immigration, Customs, and other security agencies.
The Guardian gathered that Nigerian authorities are actively working to counter these multifaceted threats. The Nigeria Police Force, through its National Cyber Crime Centre (NPF-NCCC), along with the EFCC, is at the forefront of coordinated raids, investigations, and prosecutions. These agencies are saddled with the responsibility of safeguarding digital spaces and protecting citizens, utilising specialised expertise and advanced technologies. The NPF-NCCC, for example, is actively engaging in public awareness campaigns to foster digital literacy and promote best practices for online safety.
A significant development in Nigeria’s legal framework for combating cybercrime is the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) (Amendment) Act 2024, signed into law on February 28, 2024.
This amended legislation broadened the scope of offences, introducing stricter penalties for crimes such as hacking, identity theft, and online fraud, with potential jail terms of up to 10 years. Greater responsibilities are imposed on financial institutions and tech companies regarding suspicious transactions and user data.
The measures include provisions for enhanced surveillance powers for security agencies and more stringent controls on online speech with the aim of curbing misinformation, though some concerns have been raised regarding potential impact on the freedom of expression. Experts believe that this legal update is intended to ensure that no entity can exploit deficiencies in the previous law to compromise Nigeria’s digital landscape.
Despite these efforts, significant challenges persist. The relentless sophistication of cyber criminals, who constantly develop new methods and technologies, makes it difficult for law enforcement to remain ahead.
According to experts, a widespread lack of cybersecurity awareness among many individuals and organisations leaves them vulnerable to evolving threats. They also said the absence of a truly robust, dedicated cybersecurity centre with comprehensive capabilities to detect and rapidly respond to advanced cyber attacks remains a critical gap. The experts noted that the cross-border nature of cybercrime has necessitated international cooperation, as criminal syndicates often operate seamlessly across national boundaries.
In this regard, Nigeria has been actively fostering partnerships, including a recent cybersecurity cooperation agreement with the United Kingdom in April 2025 and an agreement with the FBI and Cambodian government, to intensify efforts against international cybercrime.
Nigeria also launched a new “Joint Case Team on Cybercrime” in May 2025 with support from the Commonwealth and the UK, bringing together key justice and security agencies to enhance detection, investigation, and prosecution of digital offenses.
Otu highlighted the importance of promptness in the application of the law, citing the principle of Celerity in criminology which emphasises timely responses to criminal behaviour to enhance deterrence and reinforce the legitimacy of the legal system. He noted that the delay in prosecuting suspects through the criminal justice system weakens the deterrence effect of laws.
Otu also referenced the Broken Windows Theory, which suggests that addressing minor offences can prevent more serious crimes. He stressed the need for accountability, particularly among immigration officials and other law enforcement agencies, advocating a policing style that holds officers responsible for crimes occurring within their jurisdictions.
“How can we make our laws reactional immediately enough to assert the influence of its power on a suspect or convicted?’’ he asked, emphasising the importance of judicious use of power within the legal framework. He also called for a culture of accountability in the country.
The Pioneer President of the Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN) and founder of GoLegit Africa, Remi Afon, described Nigeria’s situation as a dangerous escalation in cybercrime, with transnational criminal syndicates establishing themselves within the country. He cited recent large-scale arrests in Abuja and Lagos involving hundreds of foreigners as evidence that cybercrime in Nigeria has become a multinational enterprise.
Afon identified several systemic vulnerabilities exploited by these syndicates, including weak cybersecurity infrastructure that leaves many public and private systems exposed. He pointed to porous digital and physical borders, which allows damaging technologies, rogue actors, and unmonitored traffic to enter the country with little resistance.
“Widespread youth unemployment makes Nigerian youth susceptible to recruitment into cybercrime operations. There is also lack of oversight on imported tech equipment which enables the smuggling of tools like pre-configured servers and SIM farms used in fraud and espionage into the country. These are some of the vulnerabilities exploited by the criminals,’’ he stated.
Afon noted that an expanding global cybercrime network views Nigeria as a low-risk, high-reward operational hub. Regarding their methods, he explained that these groups typically recruit local operatives and train them in sophisticated identity theft, financial scams, and business email compromise tactics.
They exploit Nigeria’s digital infrastructure by leveraging gaps in internet service provider security, financial platforms, and weak authentication controls. Operations are often conducted from covert urban locations disguised as legitimate businesses, where foreign actors orchestrate large-scale scams, frequently using spoofed networks and impersonated identities to target victims abroad.
“To effectively dismantle these networks, Nigeria must strengthen cybersecurity capabilities and threat intelligence sharing across sectors and agencies. This is to be led by the national cybersecurity coordination centre,” Afon recommended. He advised expansion of cybersecurity capabilities within the Nigeria Police Force and the EFCC to improve investigation and prosecution.
The expert also stressed the need to harden both digital and physical border controls, ensuring better screening of foreign technology, personnel, and business registrations. He suggested scaling up cybercrime awareness, digital literacy, and youth empowerment programmes to reduce recruitment vulnerability, and enhance international cooperation to track, disrupt, and extradite cross-border cyber criminals.
According to Afon, cybercrime should no longer be seen as just a digital issue, but a multi-layered threat blending technology, economics, and national security, which demands a coordinated and urgent response akin to fighting organised transnational crime.
The Dean of the Lagos Business School, Professor Olayinka David-West, noted that the actions of both “local and foreign actors indicate weak institutions, systems, and controls that criminals exploit”.
Regarding the lapses that contribute to the problem, such as those related to immigration, the economy, education, and parental oversight, David-West said that “misalignments in the evolution of Nigeria’s economic and government systems contribute to these lapses. For example, we are attempting to combat digital banking and payment systems with analogue equivalents.”
On what the Nigerian authorities, including the NPF-NCCC and EFCC, could do differently in tackling the menace, she advocated continued collaboration and cooperation, urging the inclusion of other relevant institutions and arms of government, such as the judiciary.
When asked if legislative action, specifically the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) (Amendment) Act 2024, is sufficient or effective in supporting enforcement, she argued that it is not enough. According to her, it requires an ‘aware and equipped ecosystem, along with cascading incident response systems.’
Looking forward, there are plans to establish a Cybercrime Response Academy with the aim to rehabilitate Nigerian fraudsters by redirecting their skills towards productive activities in the digital economy, an initiative that could potentially transform former offenders into cybersecurity professionals.
This multifaceted approach reflects Nigeria’s ongoing commitment to building a more secure digital future amidst a continuously challenging cyber threat environment.
David-West, however, said its effectiveness would depend on whether the incentives offered are beneficial to the reformed individuals. Her overall recommendation to the government and Nigerians is to adopt a holistic approach to managing cybercrime by both local and foreign actors. This, she explained, requires comprehensive education and awareness, robust legal frameworks and policies, and effective monitoring and enforcement tools.
A former President of the Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON) and Chairman of Mobile Software Solutions Ltd, Chris Uwaje, noted that Nigeria’s Critical National Information Infrastructure operates on mass legacy systems relying on Internet Protocol version 4. Uwajes called for a mandatory regulation to retool and migrate these systems to Internet Protocol version 6.
He described what the nation’s digital space is experiencing as “Data-Chaos” supercharged by internal collusions aided by foreign interventions from equipment manufacturers and installers who design, manufacture, install, and manage Nigeria’s national digital infrastructure ecosystem.
Uwaje pointed out that this critical factor is governed by a generational change phenomenon, excessively governed by IT knowledge professionals, many of whom have emigrated. This trend, he argued, makes Nigeria more vulnerable to cybersecurity hacking attacks, perhaps more than any other African nation.
He noted that the world is populated by youth who view the digital space as a new trend defined by speed, a “touch-and-go lifestyle”, adding that Africa, with Nigeria leading in youthful population and a short life expectancy, is a continent in a hurry that regrettably endorses unsustainable development models.
With the advancement of Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Quantum Computing, Uwaje stated that Nigeria needs to retool its digital space to prioritise its digital sovereignty through the Nigeria Data Protection Commission.
He stated that the porosity of Nigeria’s Critical National Information Infrastructure, alongside population data origination and protection at various transactional intersections of life, is susceptible to manipulation, un-trusted, and worrisome, as it defies the application of a merit-first mechanism to supercharge national development.
Looking ahead, Uwaje stressed the need to restructure Nigeria’s national population data, from birth to death. He posed the question of what this means for digital inclusion in Nigeria, saying that challenges beget experience, expertise, and future advancement.
The professional recommended that Nigeria’s entire digital ecosystem be energised with the infusion of research expertise and a deep-seated digital technology workforce at all levels of operational engagement. Inclusively, he called for a retooling of the national legislation and justice environment to keep pace with the rapid development of technology in the face of challenges and opportunities presented by Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing.
Uwaje advised that Artificial Intelligence should be introduced at the kindergarten school level as a playgroup education experience to protect Nigeria’s data sovereignty.
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