SAN FRANCISCO, December 03, (THEWILL) – The proposed Bill on electronic fraud and crime in all electronic transaction has listed new penalties (jail terms and fines) for electronic fraud and cybercrimes.
The bill has also been described as key to development of Nigeria’s economy.
The bill sponsors are optimistic that it will stop “the impunity with which electronic fraud and other related offences are perpetrated if it becomes law.
These were the highpoints of a public hearing on the proposed electronic fraud and cyber crime legislation held at the National Assembly.
Chairman of the Senate Joint Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters and Drugs, Narcotics and and Financial Crimes, Senator Umaru Dahiru, said in his opening speech at the hearing, that electronic fraud has become a global phenomenon that poses a serious threat to world economies, adding that Nigeria being a developing economy, should be able to enact appropriate laws.
He said the implications of not acting (via passing the proposed legislation) at all, are enormous and could be catastrophic.
“The bill does not only seek to prohibit electronic fraud but it also provides stringent punishment to the perpetrators of this heinous crime. Accordingly, the Senate and indeed, the National Assembly has taken this bill seriously and would strive with the cooperation of stakeholders and the general public to put in place appropriate legislative measures and interventions where necessary, to effectively tackle the problem of widespread internet fraud and also provide necessary safeguards with a view to curbing perpetuation.
“This way, we would be seen to bolster the confidence of foreigners who want to do business with us and also promote and protect our integrity, our image and indeed, our society from the vagaries of internet fraud and other unwholesome acts associated with it,” Senator Dahiru said at the hearing.
The bill, which was sponsored by Senator Adegbenga Sefiu Kaka, provides for a maximum seven year jail term, for convicted perpetrators of electronic fraud and cybercrime as listed in the Bill.
BY EMMA UCHE, ABUJA
About the Author
