In order to combat cybercrime worldwide, Inspector-General of Police Olukayode Egbetokun has asked for increased cooperation among INTERPOL member nations.

At the opening ceremony of the 10th African working group cybercrime units meeting for African heads held in Abuja on Monday, Egbetokun made this statement.

According to him, “In today’s interconnected world, cybercrime has become an evolving threat, affecting individuals, a pervasive business, and governments alike.

“The rise of cybercriminal activities poses significant challenges to our law enforcement agencies, requiring us to adapt swiftly and collaboratively to effectively combat these threats.

“Cybercrime is a global menace that requires the synergy of the entire global law enforcement community as no nation can do it alone.

“While assuring you of our willingness to deepen the relationship with our partners, I encourage you to leverage the inherent capabilities and resources of the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Center in our joint effort to effectively combat the evolving cybercrime trend.”

In his speech, AIG Garba Baba Umar, Vice President of the INTERPOL Executive Committee for Africa, said that the purpose of the cybercrime meeting is to provide member nations with an opportunity to discuss transnational crimes that impact the region, especially cybercrime, and to identify potential solutions.

Additionally, member nations can review INTERPOL’s expertise and policing capabilities to support the continent.

According to AIG Umar, another purpose of the conference was to enable face-to-face, direct communication between members of the national cybercrime INTERPOL network.

He basically said that the 10th INTERPOL Africa working group meeting on cybercrime provides a chance to revisit the difficulties in combating cybercrime in the area, reevaluate tactics, and reaffirm the region’s will and solidarity in providing security to its residents.

“Therefore, enhancing inter-regional cooperation to combat cybercrime in all its forms is the objective we need to set for ourselves in the African continent as it is elsewhere.”

He emphasized that the agenda for this year’s meeting will cover a wide range of subjects, including transnational organized crime, which he identified as the root of the illicit global economy.

This sector, he said, is not static; rather, it is always evolving, taking advantage of new opportunities to commit crimes. “This industry is an illegal business that transcends culture, social linguistics and geographical boundaries.”

Meanwhile, the Director, Cybercrime Directorate Unit, Craig Jones, noted that, “in 2024 our priority crime areas will be the criminal tools and infrastructures that facilitate cybercrime; attacks on ICT networks, intrusions and the malicious activities carried out on a digital network, the deployment of malicious payloads including ransomware, banking trojans, spyware, the exfiltration of sensitive data or Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. This will also include the phishing attacks and the technology and technical exploitation used in Business Email Compromise,” Jones said.

He emphasised that the meeting will further prioritise INTERPOL role in Africa “with our regional approach that offers tailored support through the Africa Joint Cybercrime Operations Desk (AFJOC), funded by the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. We have increased capabilities, delivered tools, platforms, frameworks that are essential to ensure there is a cohesive response to cybercrime.”