Ministry of Justice Seeks New Measures to Address AI-driven Cybercrimes

Emma Okonji

The Federal Ministry of Justice, in collaboration with its foreign and local partners, is seeking new ways to prosecute cybercrime offenders, especially the Artificial Intelligence (AI) assisted cybercrimes.

The stakeholders in Nigeria’s criminal justice system also called for stronger digital evidence management, inter-agency collaboration and continuous capacity building to help the country stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated cybercrimes.

They made the call during a specialised training on Cybercrime, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Digital Evidence for members of the Joint Case Team on Cybercrime (JCTC) and designated Federal High Court judges in Lagos.

The four-day training, which was attended by 40 participants, included investigators, prosecutors, analysts, forensic experts and six designated Federal High Court judges, and was organised by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), in partnership with the JCTC.

The workshop was delivered under the Building an Environment Free of Human Trafficking in Persons and Violence Against Persons (TIPVAP) Project, funded by the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands’ Ministry of Justice and Security.

The Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Mr. Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), while speaking on sideline of the training, said cybercrime has evolved beyond conventional hacking and online fraud.

According to him, AI assisted crimes, deepfakes, voice cloning, ransomware attacks, cryptocurrency enabled offences, identity theft and complex transnational cyber networks, are some of the new forms of cybercrimes.

“Our response cannot remain static. It must be innovative, intelligence driven, collaborative and forward looking. Cybercrime can not be tackled by isolated institutions because investigations increasingly crossed national borders and involved multiple agencies.” Oyedepo said.
Speaking about the training, Oyedepo said its inclusion of judges strengthened the criminal justice process because cybercrime investigations ultimately ended in the courtroom.

“With the four days training, participants are now better equipped to identify red flags, conduct diligent investigations and build stronger prosecutions,” Oyedepo further said.

ICMPD TIP-VAP Project Manager, Mr. Matthias Esene, said the organisation supported the training because technology had changed the way traffickers operated.

According to him, traffickers are increasingly exploiting digital platforms, encrypted communications, social media and artificial intelligence, adding that strengthening the capacity of the JCTC will directly improve Nigeria’s response to trafficking in persons through its partnership with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).

From the international perspective, Cybercrime and Electronic Evidence Expert from Estonia, Mr. Markko Künnapu, said access to electronic evidence remained one of the biggest global challenges.

“I think the biggest problem is how to quickly get evidence and use it in criminal proceedings. Nigeria should continue to strengthen cooperation through existing legal instruments and partnerships with governments and service providers,” Künnapu said.

Deputy Director and Head of the Cybercrimes Unit, Federal Ministry of Justice, Mrs. Jamila Akaaga-Ade, said collective action remained central to combating cybercrime.

Akaaga-Ade, who is also the Head of JCTC said effective international cooperation could only be achieved where strong national collaboration already existed among relevant institutions.

Sharing his experience from the training, Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Samuel Umezurike of the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre, Abuja, said participants gained practical knowledge on AI generated crimes, voice cloning and cybercrime investigations. He said interactions with judges exposed investigative shortcomings that often weaken prosecutions in court.

Prosecutor with the Federal Ministry of Justice, Ms Becky Jibo, said the training deepened participants’ understanding of acquiring, preserving and presenting electronic evidence.