The Senate has passed a law criminalising electronic and cyber related crimes in the country. The Bill, sponsored by Senator Adegbenga Kaka, is seeking to ensure cyber security and prevent online fraud.
Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu at Thursday’s session said, “The senate has, by this development, criminalized all intended actions made through the computers and other electronic apparatus to commit fraud and to forcefully hack or destroy data.”
Presenting the Report of the Committee on the Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Cyber Crime Bill 2014, Umaru Dahiru (PDP-Sokoto) said the joint committee had consulted widely before arriving at the report.
Dahiru said the bill was read for the first time on Nov. 16, 2011, adding that the Senate considered its general principles and application on Feb. 28, 2013 after extensive deliberations.
According to him, the bill seeks to provide a legal framework for the implementation and evaluation of response and preventive measures in the fight against cybercrime in line with international best practices.
Dahiru also said it provided for a legal framework for the prohibition and punishment of electronic fraud and cybercrime while promoting e-government services and transactions between public and private bodies.
He further said that it criminalised certain acts and omissions in line with the regional and international best practices, adding that the document provided procedural guideline for the investigation of such offences.
Dahiru said the legislation defined the liability of service providers to ensure that the national interest was not compromised.
The new law seeks to secure computer materials against unauthorised access or modification. It is also aimed at preventing unauthorised access with intent to commit or facilitate commission of further offences. The legislation now stands against unauthorised access to computer or misuse of electronic devices.
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