Odita Sunday 
IGP Disu Tasks Nigerians on Cybercrime Prevention, Warns Fintechs Against Insider Threats
By Odita Sunday
The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu, has called for proactive policing, stronger cybersecurity measures and increased collaboration among law enforcement agencies, financial institutions and technology providers to combat cybercrime in Nigeria.
Disu also urged fintech companies, banks, payment service providers and telecommunications operators to strengthen their internal security systems, warning that insider threats could expose sensitive customer information and financial transactions to criminal exploitation.
The IGP made the call on Thursday, October 15, 2026, while addressing the 2026 Cybersecurity Awareness Campaign organised by the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) at the Nigeria Police Resource Centre, Jabi, Abuja.
The campaign was held under the theme, “Towards a Resilient Cyberspace: Think Before You Click.”
Disu said Nigeria’s increasing dependence on digital platforms for economic activities, public services and everyday transactions had created new opportunities but also exposed citizens, businesses and institutions to online fraud, identity theft, data breaches, extortion and cyber-enabled financial crimes.
He stressed that national security must extend beyond physical borders to include the digital networks, platforms and systems upon which the country increasingly depends.
According to him, the Nigeria Police Force must adopt a proactive and predictive approach to cybersecurity rather than waiting for cyberattacks to occur before responding.
He said this required intelligence-led policing, credible threat analysis, open-source intelligence, digital forensics, timely information sharing and stronger partnerships among relevant stakeholders.
The IGP explained that the objective was to identify emerging threats, assess vulnerabilities and disrupt criminal activities before they materialised or escalated.
He said predictive policing must be guided by reliable intelligence, human oversight, the rule of law and respect for fundamental human rights.
Describing personnel of the NPF-NCCC as the “Guardians of Nigeria’s Digital Frontier,” Disu urged them to uphold professionalism, integrity and technical competence while strengthening their capacity to investigate cybercrime, preserve digital evidence, support victims and disrupt criminal networks.
He noted that technology alone could not guarantee cybersecurity without skilled personnel, effective procedures, accountability and public confidence.
The police chief emphasised that cybersecurity operations must remain lawful, professional and proportionate while ensuring that perpetrators were brought to justice in accordance with the law.
Addressing financial institutions and technology companies, Disu warned that cyber threats could originate from within organisations through malicious conduct, collusion, compromised credentials, abuse of privileged access, negligence or weak internal controls.
He urged fintech companies, banks, payment service providers and telecommunications operators to exercise the same vigilance against internal vulnerabilities as they did against external cyberattacks.
According to him, firewalls, encryption and fraud-detection systems were essential but could not substitute for effective internal controls and oversight.
He called on institutions to strengthen employee screening, access controls, separation of duties, transaction monitoring, internal audits, incident reporting and independent oversight.
Disu further urged organisations to subject privileged access to strict controls and promptly investigate suspicious access patterns, unauthorised data extraction, irregular transaction approvals and unexplained changes to customer accounts.
He clarified that the warning was not an indictment of employees but a recognition that institutional trust must be supported by verification, accountability and disciplined security procedures.
“Trust is essential to the financial system, but trust without verification can become a vulnerability,” he said.
The IGP assured financial institutions that the Nigeria Police Force, through the NPF-NCCC and in collaboration with regulators, financial intelligence institutions and other competent agencies, would continue to support the lawful detection, investigation and disruption of cyber-enabled financial crimes, including offences involving insider collusion.
He stressed that investigations into suspected criminal conduct must be professional, impartial and conducted in accordance with the law.
Disu maintained that no single institution could secure Nigeria’s cyberspace alone, calling for a coordinated approach involving government agencies, law enforcement, regulators, financial institutions, technology providers, educational institutions, civil society, the media and citizens.
He said cybersecurity considerations should be integrated into governance, financial operations, human-resource management, risk assessment, technology development and public education.
The IGP advocated stronger mechanisms for lawful threat-intelligence sharing, timely incident reporting, coordinated responses, digital-evidence preservation and early identification of criminal patterns.
He noted that vulnerabilities in one institution could affect others, while improvements made by one organisation could strengthen the security of the wider digital ecosystem.
According to him, Nigeria must move beyond isolated security measures towards shared responsibility, coordinated intelligence and collective resilience.
The police chief also urged Nigerians to adopt safer online practices, including verifying links before opening them, confirming payment instructions through independent channels, protecting passwords and one-time passwords, enabling multi-factor authentication and keeping devices updated.
He advised citizens to verify information before sharing it and promptly report suspicious online activities to the appropriate authorities.
Disu urged young Nigerians to deploy their digital skills towards legitimate careers in cybersecurity, software development, digital innovation and technology entrepreneurship rather than engaging in online fraud and exploitation.
He warned that cybercrime could jeopardise their freedom, reputation, career opportunities and future prospects.
“Do not allow the pressure to succeed, the desire for quick money or the false glamour of online fraud to mortgage your future,” he said.
The IGP encouraged parents and educators to make online safety an essential life skill, while urging businesses and public institutions to treat cybersecurity as a leadership responsibility rather than merely an information technology function.
He also called on technology and financial-sector partners to integrate security into their services and cooperate lawfully in preventing and investigating digital offences.
Disu urged young people who encountered online fraud, cyberbullying, sextortion, recruitment into cybercrime or other forms of digital abuse to seek assistance and report such incidents through appropriate channels.
He said Nigeria needed young people as ethical innovators, responsible digital citizens and contributors to the country’s digital economy, rather than as victims of exploitation or participants in cybercrime.
In his concluding remarks, the IGP said a resilient cyberspace was not one in which threats never occurred, but one where vulnerabilities were reduced, threats anticipated, incidents detected early, responses coordinated and recovery strengthened.
He commended the NPF-NCCC and other stakeholders for their contributions to the campaign, urging them to translate public awareness into safer online habits, stronger institutional controls and sustained cooperation.
Disu summarised the campaign’s message in three calls to action: “Think Before You Click. Verify Before You Share. Report Suspicious Activity.”
He subsequently declared the 2026 Cybersecurity Awareness Campaign of the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre open, expressing optimism that collective efforts would help build a safer, more trusted and resilient Nigerian cyberspace.
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