Senate seeks to amend the cybercrime law amid rising insecurity

Monday, December 8, 2025 - The Chairman of the Senate Committee on ICT and Cybersecurity, Senator Shuaibu Afolabi Salisu, has said the Senate is currently revising the National Cybercrime Law as part of efforts to tackle rising insecurity and technology driven offences across Nigeria. Salisu made this known in Abeokuta, Ogun State, while responding to questions from journalists shortly after the induction of new members, vice patrons, and the investiture of the new executive of the Abeokuta Sports Club 1904, led by its President, Alhaji Taoheed Awodele.

The senator representing Ogun Central reaffirmed the National Assembly’s readiness to collaborate closely with the government and relevant security agencies to address the nation’s security challenges. He disclosed that the Senate recently held an engagement session in the South West focused on tackling insecurity and added that similar consultations would be extended to all geopolitical zones. “As I speak with you, we are reworking a new National Cybersecurity Law. We are going to repeal the existing law and promulgate a new one,” he said. “Since the last law was enacted, we have witnessed advancements in technology, the rise of Artificial Intelligence, and new forms of cybercrime. There is also a new UN Convention on Cyber Crimes. So, a new cybersecurity law is coming into play.”

Salisu stressed the critical role of technology in crime prevention and security operations, noting that “there is hardly any crime today without a technological input, from making phone calls to committing fraud.” He added that the government is intensifying efforts to ensure digital infrastructure reaches all parts of the country, saying, “It is only when every part of this country is covered, particularly with broadband technology, that we can fully deploy technology to govern the currently ungoverned spaces.”

The lawmaker also urged the Abeokuta Sports Club and similar social organisations to play a role in leadership recruitment by offering guidance and civic insight. “Clubs like this should help provide clarity, to distinguish what is good in the long and short term and what is politically motivated. They are to serve as a repository of knowledge, helping policymakers shape and refine public policy,” he said.

Also speaking at the event, the Deputy Governor of Ogun State, Engr. Noimot Salako Oyedele, charged the new leadership of the club to pursue impact, progress, harmony, and new possibilities, stating that “leadership is about leaving things better than you met them.” In his remarks, the new President of the club, Alhaji Taoheed Awodele, pledged to lead with integrity, transparency, and commitment over the next two years, and announced plans to construct modern swimming pools, complete the tennis house, upgrade the five a side soccer pitch and gallery, and execute other infrastructure projects.