The Information Security Society of Africa – Nigeria has urged for a closer partnership with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, to address internet fraud and other financial crimes in the country.
This was disclosed by ISSAN’s Vice President, Dr Martin Ikpehai, when he led a three-man delegation on a courtesy visit to the EFCC’s headquarters in Abuja recently, according to The Punch.
Ikpehai said “Now, every business is conducted in digital space and as businesses are in cyberspace, criminals are chasing them online. One important thing we have come to realise is that the EFCC, being a crime fighter, has done so much in this aspect of crime, especially fighting crime in the digital space and we are happy about it. We are also happy to fight this crime and to let you know that there should be synergy between our organisation and the EFCC.”
He expressed concerns at the proliferation of Yahoo schools across the country and noted that such an anomaly requires increased cooperation with ISSAN.
“EFCC is discovering ‘Yahoo schools’ in Nigeria and it surprises us that there are schools created to teach people to learn cybercrimes. That is why we have come to let you know that you should collaborate with us so that we can work hand-in-hand,” he stated.
Commenting, the Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, commended ISSAN for its focus and mandate.
He said that the EFCC recognize the efforts geared towards cybersecurity and assured the society of better collaboration.
“We have a lot to do on cybercrime and security as it were and that is what we do. We must engage all stakeholders and ensure that we take drastic measures to stop criminals in cyberspace. “The more we come together, the better for the country to prosecute the war on cybercrime and security,” he asserted.
He assured that the EFCC would always be ahead of cyber criminals, maintaining that “if a crime is technology-driven, the approach to fight it should also be technology-driven”.
ISSAN presented a proposal at its last Industry Round Table that an identity system for Nigeria should be set up whereby one individual’s international passport, phone number, or bank verification number would be grafted onto another single interconnected file.
