The Federal Government is set to review Nigeria’s cybercrime laws to tackle emerging threats linked to artificial intelligence (AI), including online fraud, digital surveillance and attacks on critical infrastructure.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, disclosed this in a message delivered on his behalf by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, at the second International Cybersecurity Conference in Abuja.
Fagbemi said the Federal Ministry of Justice had developed a draft executive bill to strengthen Nigeria’s legal framework, improve the preservation and exchange of electronic evidence, and enhance cooperation among law enforcement agencies.
He noted that cybercrime had evolved beyond conventional internet fraud to include cryptocurrency-related offences, sextortion, child exploitation and AI-assisted deception.
The minister said the proposed reforms would support effective investigation and prosecution of cybercrime while safeguarding fundamental human rights and upholding the rule of law.
Also speaking, the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, said the agency was working with the Office of the National Security Adviser and the National Assembly to review the Cybercrimes Act.
Abdullahi added that the government was considering a national cybersecurity architecture to establish minimum protection standards for organisations.
He warned that cybercriminals were increasingly deploying AI-generated voices, videos and images to deceive unsuspecting victims.
