Convicted Yahoo Yahoo Boys To Bag 7 Years Jail Term Henceforth

The Senate on Thursday moved to curb the incessant and increasing online crimes in Nigeria through the passage of a bill which spells out seven years jail term for anyone found guilty of cyber crimes or online fraud.

Tagged: “A Bill for an Act to Provide for the Prohibition, Prevention, Detection, Response, Investigation and Prosecution of Cybercrimes and for Other Related Matters 2014,” the bill seeks to punish interception of data, system interference and misuse of devices.

It also seeks to punish all kinds of computer-related fraud, computer-related forgery, offences relating to pornography, cyber-stalking and cyber-squatting.

Among other objectives, the bill seeks to promote cyber security, protection of computer systems and networks, electronic communications; data and computer programmes, intellectual property and privacy rights.

According to the bill which was sponsored by Senator Adegbenga Kaka (Ogun East), anyone who commits fraud using a computer system or network with the intention of obtaining computer data, securing access to any programme, commercial or industrial secrets or classified information will upon conviction be sentenced to seven years jail term or a fine of N7million or both.

In the same vein, anyone found guilty of possessing a manipulative device, unauthorised automatic teller machine (ATM) card, damaging a computer with the intention to defraud, trafficking in any password to defraud customers or financial institutions will be sentenced to seven years imprisonment or a N7 million fine.

Similarly, any person or organisation who intentionally traffics in any password or similar information through a computer unlawfully with the intention to defraud public and private interests within or outside Nigeria will be liable upon conviction to a fine of N7 million or three years imprisonment.

The bill also spells out a three-year jail term or N2 million fine for anyone who knows that a crime has been committed in his premises or cybercafe and fails to report to relevant authorities within seven days.

While the bill provides for compulsory registration of all cybercafes as business concerns with Computer Professionals’ Registration Council in addition to business name registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), it also spells out three years’ jail term or a fine of N1 million for anyone who perpetrates electronic fraud through a cybercafe.

In the situation where the fraud is found to have been perpetrated in connivance with the owner(s) of the cybercafe, such owners shall be liable to a fine of N2 million or three years jail term.

The bill also provides for punishment of 10 years imprisonment without an option of fine against anyone who commits any offences in relation to critical national information infrastructure and 15 years imprisonment for any person who commits such a crime resulting in bodily harm and life imprisonment for such crime if it results in death of another person.

After the passage, Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, said enacting anti-cyber crime law became imminent because there was no computer at the time penal and criminal code came into force.

According to him, the bill when passed into law will fill the vacuum created by the development adding that the bill was also a statement to convince the international community that Nigeria was committed to curbing cyber crimes in the country. He also said passing the bill was a loud statement to perpetrators of cyber crimes that it will no longer be business as usual for them.