Despite An Increase In Cybercrime In Africa, Nigeria Boasts Of It's Cyber Success.

With over 1,000 arrests made in the last year and 152 instances involving cyber related fraud and scams successfully prosecuted, Nigeria's Government has adopted a more aggressive approach to combating financial fraud and Cybercrime. As part of a large raid against an alleged Cybercriminal syndicate of almost 800 individuals in December 2024, Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) charged 42 foreign Nationals, primarily Chinese and Filipino, on February 3 with cryptocurrency investment and romance fraud.

The accused intentionally "caused to be accessed, a computer system which was organized to seriously destabilize the economic and social structure of the Federal Republic Of Nigeria, by procuring and employing several Nigerian youths for identity theft and other computer related fraud," according to a statement from the EFCC. For Nigeria and all of  Africa, cybercrime and cyber attacks remains a serious issue.

According to Data given by cybersecurity firm checkpoint software Technologies, the average African enterprise experiences around 3,200 attacks each week, which is 73% greater than the Global average. With eight of it's Nations listed in checkpoints top 20 regions at high risk of cybercrime, Africa has emerged as a major Hub for cybercrime. According to Lionel Dartnall, acting Country manager for South Africa at checkpoint, the continent is embracing technology at a quick pace, but not necessarily with the proper security, which leaves systems susceptible.

He lists the rapidly growing digital footprint and the widespread use of cloud computing as factors that are making the region move vulnerable to attacks. " We are seeing that Africa is particularly susceptible compared to other regions, and many attackers often test new methods here before deploying them in other parts of the World," he says.