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The Nigeria Police Force (NPF), has warned banks and fintech companies about insider cybercrime and cautioned digital lenders against using customers’ personal data to harass or blackmail borrowers.
Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) gave the warning, Thursday, at the 2026 Cybersecurity Awareness Campaign organised by the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) in Abuja.
Blueprint.ng reports that the campaign, themed: ‘Towards a Resilient Cyberspace: Think Before You Click’ aims to promote safer online practices, strengthen institutional preparedness and improve cooperation in the fight against cybercrime.
IGP Disu said cyber threats could originate from within organisations through compromised employees, abuse of privileged access, negligence and weak internal controls.
He urged financial institutions and technology companies to strengthen employee screening, restrict access to sensitive systems, monitor transactions and conduct regular audits to detect suspicious activities. “firewalls and encryption alone could not eliminate cyber risks”.
The police chief also warned Nigerians against allowing others to use their bank accounts to receive money, noting that account holders could face investigations if their accounts were linked to fraudulent transactions.
He advised the public to reject fake payment alerts, protect sensitive information such as bank verification numbers, national identification numbers and card details, and avoid suspicious links. He also warned against impersonation, cyberbullying and sharing private photographs or videos without consent.
Also speaking the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) and Director of the National Cybercrime Centre, AIG Akaninyene Ezima, urged young Nigerians to reject quick-money schemes and online criminal recruitment. “pursue opportunities in cybersecurity, software development and technology entrepreneurship.”
Ezima warned that cybercriminals were increasingly using artificial intelligence to perpetrate fraud through deepfakes, synthetic identities, automated scams and impersonation.
He called for stronger cooperation among law enforcement agencies, regulators, financial institutions and technology companies.
The director also urged victims of cybercrime and online exploitation to report incidents promptly, warning that sextortion could have devastating consequences, citing Section 24(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2024, which addresses certain forms of cyberstalking.
On his part the commission’s Head of IT and Cybersecurity, Olorun Somo Ishola, who represented the National Commissioner, said effective cybersecurity required both strong technical defences and adequate data privacy safeguards.
Ishola said the commission was working with the police and other law enforcement agencies under the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023, to protect personal information and tackle its misuse.
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