Nigerian Hacktivists Rage against Costly Presidential Inauguration

Nigerian hacktivists yesterday attacked the Niger Delta Development Commission’s website, reportedly reacting to the government’s plan to spend about $6.5 million on President Goodluck Jonathan‘s May 29 inauguration, NEXT reports.

Known as NaijaCyberHactivists, the Nigerian hacker group warned of more attacks this weekend should the president decide to maintain his budget. The letter expressed frustration at the post-election violence and the government’s claims that the recent disorder…

Nigeria’s Vice President Stresses Commitment to Fight Cyber Crime

The need to fiercely fight cyber crime and promote legitimate economic opportunity in West Africa has been described as a must for the government and industry, Nigerian Vice President Namadi Sambo said.

Speaking at the first West Africa cyber crime summit held recently in Nigeria’s capital Abuja, Sambo described cyber crime as a cross-industry…

Top 7 Most Common Online Scams of the Decade

With 2010 drawing to a close, PandaLabs has released a ranking of the decade’s most widespread scams on the Internet, including 419 scam, ploys involving beautiful foreign women, and money-mule schemes based on too-good-to-be-true job offers.

“As with all the classic scams that predate the Internet, many of the numerous users that fall for these tricks and…

Cyber Crime in North Africa a ‘New and Very Recent Trend’

Cyber experts with United Nations have cautioned about a recent trend in online attacks originating from  African countries.

“It is important to note that the  ‘minds’ behind the crime organisations have recently moved to North Africa, which is a totally new and very recent trend,” Francesca Bosco, of the United Nations Inter-regional Crime and Justice Research Institute, said in an interview with Express.

Detailing the geographical…

Nigeria Forms Cyber Prosecution Team

The Nigerian government has approved the formation of a cyber prosecution team to spearhead the country’s battle against cyber crime.

The Computer Crime Prosecution Unit (CCPU) will operate under the supervision of the Public Prosecution Department of the Federal Ministry of Justice. The new unit will be in charge of prosecutions of those suspected…

Indian Cops Nab ‘Notorious’ Cyber Criminal

Police in India have arrested a “notorious inter-state cyber criminal” who is accused of hacking into the bank account of a Dehli resident. Ganesh Kumar Agarwal, aka Prince, was grabbed after allegedly using the hacked bank account to make online purchases.

Members of the Cyber Crime Cell of Central Crime Station arrested Agarwal, who was on the run, police said. Agarwal and two Nigerians are accused of hacking the account…

US to Help Nigeria Battle Cyber Crime

Nigeria is trying to salvage its reputation of being an axis for cyber crime and infamous scams by partnering with the U.S. government to take strides toward improving its image and bolstering monitoring and investigations skills.

Bashir Gwandu, the acting executive vice chairman of the Nigeria Communications Commission, told NEXT how email scams claiming to be from Nigerian institutions have…

Cyber Crime Hinders Growth of Internet Use in Nigeria

The Internet has failed to grow in use throughout Nigeria largely because many Nigerians view it as a tool for cyber crime, according to an article on Next. During a talk in Lagos last week, Samuel Adeleke, the president of the Internet Service Providers Association of Nigeria (ISPAN), said that the lack of Internet penetration in Nigeria is a…

Nigeria Looks to Dissuade Cyber Crime through Song

Nigeria is home to some of the most prolific levels of cyber crime. In an effort to dissuade Nigerians from engaging in cyber crime, the Nigerian government, in partnership with Microsoft, has released a song and video titled “Maga Need No Pay.”

The video references a number of slang terms used in Nigeria. Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has…

Nigeria Cracks Down on Cyber Crime

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency, reported 800 fraud emailers have been deactivated. Additionally, members of 18 cyber crime syndicates have been arrested.

EFCC has been working with Microsoft to help track down the cyber criminals. Police units have moved to a greater reliance on technology to catch fraudsters, replacing the practice of raiding cyber cafes. Many of the email scammers use Internet…