Combating the Menace of Cybercrime in Nigeria: A Review of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act 2015 and Other Legislations

Abstract

The creation of the internet, computers and mobile phones is one of the most innovative and useful inventions of man. There are inestimable benefits of these technological advances; businesses can be conducted and concluded between parties at different jurisdictions over the internet, correspondence between people have been made easier unlike what was the case of the 18^th and 17^th centuries where letters were used which was slow. In the same vein, the advances in technology has caused incalculable harm, it has increased the rate of crimes, expanded the scope of criminal activities and has created a new category of crimes known as cybercrimes. Cybercrime has in recent time become a crucial threat to many countries which has necessitated governments around the world to enact sturdy legislations and also put in place coherent procedural measures to tackle cyber-criminals. The Nigerian government enacted the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act, 2015 to investigate and prosecute cybercriminals in Nigeria. Various other legislations also contain provisions that directly impact on the phenomenon of cybercrime in Nigeria. This paper utilized the doctrinal methodology to analyze the key provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act, 2015 and other ancillary legislations on cybercrime in Nigeria with the aim of assessing their efficacy and providing possible solutions and recommendations to combatting the menace of cyber-crime in Nigeria.

Keywords: cybercrime, economic & financial crimes, money laundering, criminal code, prohibition, Nigeria

DOI: 10.7176/JLPG/119-01

Publication date:March 31^st 2022