Nigeria’s effort to secure its digital ecosystem will require a broader strategy beyond law enforcement, according to Lateef Fagbemi, the nation’s Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.
The AGF, who says prevention, institutional coordination and public awareness are critical to tackling increasingly sophisticated cyber threats, made the remarks in Abuja during the National Cascade Leadership Training on Cybercrime Prevention, a gathering of stakeholders from Nigeria’s cyber justice ecosystem aimed at strengthening inter-agency collaboration and building digital capacity in the fight against cybercrime.
The Attorney-General cautioned that relying solely on enforcement mechanisms will not adequately protect Nigeria’s cyberspace, stressing that effective cybercrime prevention must be supported by informed citizens, coordinated institutions and responsible leadership across government and the private sector.
Ransomware attacks have increased exponentially in recent years. Online fraud schemes are evolving with alarming sophistication. Young people are being drawn into digital criminality at earlier ages with low barriers to entry, while sextortion, identity theft and cryptocurrency-enabled laundering continue to test our enforcement architecture,” he said.
Fagbemi: Prevention vital to securing Nigeria’s cyberspace
“Cyberspace will not be secured by enforcement alone,” he said, noting that prevention strategies must be institutionalised while public awareness campaigns help build resilience against online threats.
The training programme forms part of the National Cascade Programme under the Joint Case Team on Cybercrimes (JCTC), which Fagbemi described as a long-term strategic intervention designed to strengthen Nigeria’s cybercrime prevention framework.
According to him, the initiative aims to build a national pool of certified trainers who can cascade cybercrime prevention knowledge across institutions and communities.
“This is more than a training but also a strategic intervention seeking to build the much-needed certified trainers, establish national cascade capacity, and embed sustainable prevention impact,” the Attorney-General said.
Fagbemi, who was represented at the event by Mrs. Leticia Ayoola-Daniels, Director of Administration of Criminal Justice Reforms at the Ministry of Justice, warned that cybercrime has evolved into a global and increasingly complex threat with annual financial losses estimated in trillions of dollars.
He identified several emerging digital threats challenging Nigeria’s enforcement architecture, including ransomware attacks, sophisticated online fraud schemes, identity theft, sextortion and cryptocurrency-enabled money laundering.
“Ransomware attacks have increased exponentially in recent years. Online fraud schemes are evolving with alarming sophistication. Young people are being drawn into digital criminality at earlier ages with low barriers to entry, while sextortion, identity theft and cryptocurrency-enabled laundering continue to test our enforcement architecture,” he said.
While acknowledging the importance of enforcement, Fagbemi stressed that Nigeria’s cybercrime strategy must prioritise structured prevention programmes and sustained capacity development.
“It is important to note that enforcement alone cannot address the challenge. Prevention must be structured, messaging must stay consistent and capacity must be deliberately multiplied,” he added.
The Attorney-General also commended the support of the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office of the United Kingdom for their collaboration with the JCTC.
He recalled the signing of a multilateral Memorandum of Understanding in April 2025, describing the agreement as a defining moment that helped deepen institutional cooperation in Nigeria’s fight against cybercrime.
According to Fagbemi, the partnership has already produced tangible outcomes, including the award of Commonwealth Cyber Fellowships to three Nigerians and the launch of the Ideas Incubator programme for inter-agency teams working on cybercrime prevention initiatives.
Also speaking at the retreat, Jamila Akaaga Ade, Head of the Joint Case Team on Cybercrime and a Commonwealth Africa Cyber Fellow, said the leadership training was designed to strengthen the institutional foundation of Nigeria’s cybercrime response.
“This gathering is not accidental. It is intentional,” she said. “It was designed to pause from the urgency of case files, court schedules, intelligence reports and inter-agency coordination to strengthen the very foundation upon which all of that work rests — leadership, mindset and cohesion.”
Ade noted that the borderless nature of cybercrime makes siloed responses ineffective, stressing that the rapidly evolving digital threat landscape demands coordinated and disciplined collaboration among institutions.
“Cybercrime evolves rapidly, crosses jurisdictions seamlessly and exploits every gap in coordination. Our response cannot be fragmented; it must be structured, disciplined and united,” she said.
The leadership retreat brought together heads of government agencies, ICT experts, law enforcement officials, financial intelligence institutions and members of the Commonwealth Africa Cyber Fellows network in Nigeria.
Stakeholders say the engagement highlights the growing role of technology policy, inter-agency collaboration and specialised capacity building in shaping Nigeria’s national cyber security strategy.
Home
