By Adedapo Adesanya
The Federal Government has ratified its membership in the Budapest Convention to enhance international cooperation in the fight against cybercrime.
This was disclosed by the National Security Adviser, Mr. Babagana Monguno in a statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Mr. Zakari Usman, on Monday in Abuja.
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He said that Nigeria officially ratified its membership of the convention on July 6, after it met the needed requirements, after five years of assiduous efforts by the government.
According to him, the development follows the approval of the Federal Executive Council on June 29, and the signing of the instrument of accession by President Muhammadu Buhari as well as transmission to the Council of Europe on July 6.
The NSA said that Nigeria had enacted the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015 as the legal framework for the codification of criminal activities in cyberspace.
He said the Act was aimed at guaranteeing, amongst others, the safe use of cyberspace and minimizing the attendant risks to online platforms and critical infrastructure with consequential negative impact.
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Mr. Monguno said it was part of the ongoing efforts to strengthen the global architecture of cybersecurity that the Council of Europe invited Nigeria to accede to the convention on cybercrime, also known as the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime.
According to him, the Nigerian Government thereafter collaborated with the Council of Europe to provide the necessary frameworks to meet the requirements for the final accent to the Convention.
