Florence Bola-Balogun
Nigeria moved from a country with zero legislation on cyber security to a country with an extensive law with the enactment of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act (“the Act”) in 2015.
The Act prescribes punishment for specific actions such as cybersquatting, cyberstalking, identity theft, unlawful access to a computer (popularly called hacking), cyber terrorism, racism and xenophobic crimes. The Act also establishes the Cybercrime Advisory Council which is constituted by representatives of almost all the law enforcement agencies in Nigeria. The Cybercrime Advisory Council is responsible for policy formulation, while the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) is responsible for the enforcement of the Act.