fbpx

Nigeria Third Most Affected By Cybercrime After US, UK

Nigeria Third Most Affected By Cybercrime After US, UK

Nigeria has been ranked as the third most affected country in the world for cybercrime, with the West African nation only surpassed by the U.S. and the U.K.

Nigerians are hardest hit after the U.S. and U.K., according to Umar Danbatta, CEO of the Nigerian Communications Commission. The commission finally acknowledged Nigeria’s struggle against online crime, according to Vanguard.

Danbatta was speaking at the 201 Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Lagos, during a discussion on ‘The Business of Cyber Law, Internet Policy and Privacy Rights’,

He explained that Nigeria’s unwanted third place on the cybercrimes ranking was due to the country losing an estimated $353.2 million due to cybercrime during 2015.

“About N127 billion was the estimated loss to cybercrime in Nigeria in 2015; Nigeria ranks third in global internet crimes behind the UK and U.S.,” Danbatta said, according to ThePulse.

“A critical factor militating against Africa’s economic resurgence is the weakness of its institutions. Nigeria ranks 169 out of 199 on the World Bank’s ease of doing business rankings; we are in a middle of a revolution and the rise of what we call the networked society,” he added.

“The NCC stipulates the laws of engagement that will make the cyberspace safe and ensure the confidence as well as the safety of the cyberspace. There are benefits and risks of the use of cyberspace and both have to be properly managed,” he said.

Nigeria committed to fighting cybercrime

The second edition of the Global Cybersecurity Index 2017, released by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), an agency of the United Nations, measures the commitment of countries to cybersecurity.

While Africa remains the least committed region in the world, Nigeria is the fifth most committed African country in relation to cybersecurity, while it places 46th globally, according to AllAfrica.

This is due to what the Global Cybersecurity Index 2017 describes as cybersecurity programs and initiatives that fall within the maturing tier of countries.

Danbatta confirmed that the number of Nigerian internet users is now at 91.6 million, giving cybercriminals a greater population to target, according to NigeriaCommunicationsWeek.