The hierarchy of the Nigerian Police Force has announced that operatives from the National Cybercrime Center (NPF-NCCC) dismantled 5,049 malicious domains and major cybercrime syndicates operating both within Nigeria and beyond its borders.
At a press conference celebrating the centre’s remarkable achievements in 2024, the police spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, revealed that the centre recovered more than N8 billion and $84,000 to be restituted to cybercrime victims.
Adejobi emphasised that these successes stemmed from coordinated and high-profile operations conducted by the NPF-NCCC during the year under review. He noted that these efforts resulted in over 751 arrests and prosecutions of individuals involved in cybercrime, alongside the recovery of 685 devices—including 467 mobile phones, 137 laptops and computers, 46 routers, four servers, one drone, four Starlink devices, 16 houses, 39 plots of land, 14 land documents, and 26 vehicles.
He also reported that 508 cybercrime cases were documented, encompassing sextortion and cyberstalking during the same period, and revealed that the centre secured 14 convictions in 2024.
“These accomplishments underscore the Nigeria Police Force’s commitment to safeguarding the country’s digital landscape and combating cybercrime effectively,” Adejobi stated.
In early 2024, the NPF-NCC relaunched an upgraded Cybercrime E-Reporting System, which enhanced accessibility and streamlined the process for citizens to report incidents such as extortion, cryptocurrency and investment scams, cyberstalking, and other cybercrime trends. This system significantly improved reporting efficiency, enabling quicker response times and more effective case management.
He highlighted the recognition of the NPF-NCCC as the premier cybercrime unit in Africa, as it was rated the best by INTERPOL’s Cybercrime Directorate in Singapore for 2024, following a competitive performance assessment during “Operation Serengeti,” in which the centre finished in first place among 54 participating African countries.
Additional accolades included the “2024 Award of Nation Building in Cybersecurity Services” from a civil society organisation, the title of “Nigeria’s Most Outstanding in IT Security of the Year” awarded by the Institute of Strategic Studies, and the “2024 Cybersecurity Merit Award” from the Cybersecurity Experts Association of Nigeria (CEASN).
These accolades, Adejobi remarked, acknowledged the relentless efforts and innovative strategies of the Inspector General of Police, as well as the significant contributions of the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Center (NPF-NCCC) in protecting Nigeria’s critical national information infrastructure (CNII).
