The Federal Government is taking deliberate steps to strengthen the institutional capacity of the Nigerian cyber justice ecosystem, moving beyond conversation to concrete, technology-driven actions.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN smade this known at the National Cascade Train The Trainer Leadership Retreat for the Joint Case Team on Cybercrime (JCTC) on Thursday in Abuja.
The minster was represented by Mrs Leticia Ayoola- Daniels, the Director of Administration of Criminal Justice Reforms, ministry of justice.
The retreat was organized by JCTC and its supporting partners, the Commonwealth Secretariat and UK Foreign Commonwealth Development Office.
The AGF said the programme was established to build a network of experts from Africa and the Caribbean to encourage cooperation, policy development and capacity building across the two regions.
He said that it is no longer news that cybercrimes are a global threat and increasingly complex at that but with losses estimated in trillions of dollars annually.
“It is imperative to note at this point that enforcement alone cannot address the challenge; prevention must be structured, messaging staying consistent, and capacity deliberately multiplied.
“Ransomware attacks have increased exponentially in recent years; online fraud schemes evolving with alarming sophistication; Young people are being drawn into digital criminality at earlier ages with the low barriers to entry.
“Also, sextortion, identity theft, cryptocurrency-enabled laundering etc have continued to test our enforcement architecture.
“ Therefore, this training marks a mindset shift, forging trust, and moving from silos to shared mission in the fight against cybercrimes within the criminal justice sector and related stakeholders.’’
The minister commended the organisers for the depth of expertise in leadership facilitation and performance-based training, helping to translate vision into structured delivery and long-term impact.
In her remarks, Mrs Jamila Ade, the head of JCTC and Commonwealth Africa Cyber Fellow, said the work being done through the Cyber Fellowship is invaluable as the exchange within the network has recorded some wins.
She said the training reflects a deliberate decision to pause from the urgency of case files, court schedules, intelligence reports, and inter-agency coordination, to strengthen the very foundation upon which all of that work rests, leadership, mindset, and cohesion.
She warned that cybercrime does not respect institutional boundaries nor wait for bureaucratic alignment but evolves rapidly, crosses jurisdictions seamlessly, and exploits every gap in coordination.
“Our response, therefore, cannot be fragmented. It must be structured, disciplined, and united.’’
Dr Nkechi Amobi, the Senior Research Officer for the Commonwealth’s Cyber Capability programme commended Nigeria and participating agencies for their continued commitment to strengthening the country’s response to cybercrime and protecting citizens in an increasingly digital society.
Other speakers at the retreat were Mr Akeem Lawal, Director ICT NAPTIP, Deputy Director NPF NCCC, Olufemi Akinola, Dr Muhammad Jiya, COO of NIFU among others.
