The Federal Government has started work to rewrite Nigeria’s cybercrime law. It wants the legal framework to keep pace with threats driven by artificial intelligence (AI).
Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, said his ministry has drafted an executive bill. The Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, delivered his message in Abuja on Tuesday. The occasion was the second International Cybersecurity Conference.
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) organised the event. Its theme was “Cyber Resilience in the Age of AI: Defending Minds, Networks and Nations”.
What the new bill aims to do
Fagbemi said the bill would address new technologies. It would also improve how electronic evidence is preserved and shared. In addition, it would strengthen cooperation among law enforcement agencies.
He said the effort builds on Nigeria’s accession to the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime. It also draws on engagement with the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime and consultations on the existing Cybercrimes Act.
According to him, cybercrime now goes well beyond online fraud. It includes crypto-related offences, sextortion, child exploitation and AI-assisted deception.
The minister also stressed the need to protect rights. “Security must protect liberty, not become an excuse to undermine it,” he said.
NITDA seeks a review of the Act
NITDA Director-General Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi said the agency is working with the Office of the National Security Adviser and the National Assembly. Together, they are reviewing the Cybercrimes Act. He said the aim is to repeal it and gain more legislative power.
He added that the government is weighing a national cybersecurity architecture. It would set minimum protection standards for organisations.
Abdullahi also warned that criminals now target people instead of systems. They use AI-generated voices, videos and images to deceive victims.
NCC warns of machine-speed attacks
NCC Executive Vice-Chairman Aminu Maida also spoke at the event. Executive Commissioner for Technical Services Sunday Oshadami represented him. Maida warned that AI-powered attacks could disrupt telecoms, financial services and government operations.
He said criminals now deploy automated attacks, deepfakes and advanced malware. Defenders, he noted, face systems that operate at “microsecond computational speed”.
Maida cited attacks on supermarket refrigeration systems in France. He also pointed to spyware aimed at no fewer than 45 devices belonging to journalists and media workers in the Middle East.
He said the NCC has set up a Computer Security Incident Response Team. It has also introduced a cyber resilience framework. The framework sets security standards for licensed telecom operators.
