The Inspector-General of Police (I-G), Mr Olatunji Disu has advocated the adoption of a proactive and predictive approach in the fight against cyber related crimes in the country.
Disu said this on Thursday in Abuja at the opening of the 2026 Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Center (NPF-NCCC) Cyber Security Awareness Campaign.
The theme of the campaign is “Towards a Resilient Cyberspace, Think Before you Click.”
According to him, our digital environment is now central to national security, economic activities, public services, and everyday life.
He said the environment had created immense opportunities, but also, had exposed citizens, businesses, and institutions to fraud, identity theft, data breach, extortion, and cyber-enabled financial crimes.
Disu noted that protection of Nigeria needed to be sustained beyond physical spaces through networks, platforms, and systems on which the society depends.
“We must adopt a proactive and predictive approach because we cannot wait until hands are caught.
“This demands intelligent policy, threat analysis, open-source intelligence, digital forensics, and timely information sharing.
“We must move from instant response to threat anticipation, from reactive implementation to proactive destruction, from analysing yesterday’s attack to preparing for tomorrow’s attack,” he said.
The I-G said the process must be anchored on reliable intelligence, human oversight, rule of law, and respect for fundamental human rights.
He said the fight against cybercrimes was not just a priority, but a responsibility that demands continuous learning, technical competence, integrity, and discipline.
Disu urged the NPF-NCCC to continue to strengthen its capacity to analyse threats, do predictable strategies, research digital evidence, support teams, and disrupt criminal networks.
He said technology alone was not enough to combat cybercrimes, adding that it must be marked by skills, skilled personnel, sound procedures, and accountability and public trust.
Disu said no single institution could secure Nigeria’s digital environment, adding that it requires a whole lot of society and cybersecurity ecosystem approach.
He said the ecosystem must involve governments, law enforcement agencies, regulators, financial institutions, tech providers, educators, civil society, the media and the public.
According to him, cyber security must be integrated into governance, finance, risk management, and public education.
“We need stronger mechanisms for threat intelligence sharing, timing, instead of plotting, coordinated response, and conservation of digital evidence. The goal is not between partners, but to connect capabilities.
“If vulnerability in one institution can threaten many others, the strength in one can protect all of us. We must move from isolated threats to shared responsibilities and quality resilience.
“While defending against external threats, we must also confront the insider threats,” he said.
In his remark, the AIG in charge of NPF-NCCC, Mr Akaninyene Ezima said the theme of the campaign was timely and important.
He said it was a reminder that a single click could either protect or expose an individual to cybercrime, in view of the interconnectivity of the world.
Ezima said that a careless click on a suspicious link, unverified message or a fraudulent investment offer could lead to financial loss, identity theft, privacy violations and serious security consequences.
(NAN)
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