At CBN instance, IGP directs immediate set up of dedicated card crime unit

At the instance of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Nigeria Police have announced that it will immediately establish a Dedicated Payment and Card Crime Unit to help the apex bank’s efforts at combating rising electronic fraud in the country.

Suleiman Barau, CBN deputy governor, operations, who led a team of the Nigeria Electronic Fraud Forum (NeFF) on a courtesy visit to Solomon Arase, Inspector General of Police in Abuja, said Nigeria’s financial industry had lost over N4 billion on account of e-fraud, as of today.

This, he said, ‘buttresses the fact that e-fraud has become an industry of its own’ and that it is now a threat not only to individuals and corporate organisations but also to the entire nation. “Its cost implication can be measured through not only economic but also social impacts, as it is evident today,” he said.

Barau had at the visit, which was to seek police collaboration in combating burgeoning electronic crime in the country, requested that the police establish a Dedicated Payment and Card Crime Unit in the Nigerian Police and also set up a working group comprising of members of NeFF and the Nigerian Police to achieve this.

The deputy governor particularly noted that with the enactment into law of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention) Act 2015, offences were now clearly outlined and had thus become imperative for the CBN to build the investigative capacity of the law enforcement agencies, especially of the Nigerian Police through the above channels.

“I want to table this initial requests, as a prelude to a more fortuitous and enduring relationship between the payments industry on one hand and the Nigerian Police on the other.

“Important stakeholders such as law enforcement agencies will be more likely to listen and commit resources to fight crime if they know they are dealing with an industry body who expresses a common opinion and requirement,” he said.

He said with the take off of the cash-less policy, it was expected that e-fraud attempts would increase, as the country experienced a significant growth in e-payments.

In his response, the IGP, Solomon Arase, noting the CBN’s efforts at assisting in combating crime in the country, granted the deputy governor’s request to set up the card crime unit as quickly as possible.

“About the establishment of the dedicated card crime unit, I will ask the DIG – Force Criminal Investigative Department to immediately set up that unit,” he said.

He further solicited the CBN support for a joint capacity training, which, according to him, will make investigation and prosecution seamless.

He said an important area that needed to be worked on was that of building technical platforms, observing that the Nigerian Identity Management Commission had already provided the veritable platform, which he said could be harmonised with the BVN, especially at the police level.

“That one will be a very robust way for us to check most of these crimes,” he stated, assuring that the police would continue to intensify effort at hunting down criminals.