By Zacchaeus Ozovehe.
The Senator representing Kogi Central Senatorial District, Senator Yakubu Oseni has described the soaring scourge of internet related crimes as inimical to nation building.
Senator Oseni who gave this insight today while addressing participants at the second Annual Criminal Review Conference held at Chida Event Centre in Abuja, said criminal activities by some Nigerians on the internet could smear the image of Nigeria in the international community.
Speaking further, the lawmaker noted that various statistics by researchers have shown an increasing number of people engaging in cyber fraud in the last few years, a situation which he said the Senate Committee on Information and Communication Technology/Cybercrime under his leadership has devised many ways to combat.
“This year, Cyber analysts have estimated that Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in Nigeria have continued to lose over N127 billion annually to cybercrime, which amounts to 0.08 per cent of the country’s annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP). No serious government will fold its arms and watch the country enmeshed in this web of criminality”, he said.
While commending the effort of Nigeria Anti-graft commissions especially the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the fight against internet fraud, Senator Oseni advised internet users to be cautious online and keep their respective passwords protected from intruders.
He expressed optimism that with collective efforts of all stakeholders, cyber crimes will be reduced drastically.
