By Festus Fifen

The Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police IGP Olatunji Disu on Thursday told banks, fintechs and payment firms to stop watching only the outside door stating that the next big fraud may come from someone with a staff Identification.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Cybersecurity Awareness Campaign at the Police Resource Centre in Jabi Abuja the Inspector-General of Police said institutions must look inward with the same vigilance they apply to external threats. Firewalls and encryption, he warned, cannot replace strong internal controls.

In his words, “Trust without verification can become a vulnerability,” urging tighter access controls, staff screening, separation of duties, transaction monitoring and independent oversight. Suspicious access patterns, unauthorised data extraction and irregular transaction approvals, he said, should trigger prompt review.

The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) will work with regulators and financial intelligence agencies to detect and disrupt financial cybercrime, including insider collusion, in line with the law.

The Program organised by the NPF-NCCC under the theme “Towards a Resilient Cyberspace: Think Before You Click,” the campaign aims to shift policing from reacting to attacks to anticipating them.

The IGP called for intelligence-led, predictive policing grounded in human oversight and respect for fundamental rights.

Speaking earlier, the Centre Director, AIG Akaninyene Ezima said artificial intelligence can help investigators sift huge volumes of digital evidence and spot fraud trends, but he added that it must support professional police judgment, not replace it.

AIG Akaninyene also warned that criminals are already using deepfakes, synthetic identities and automated scams to defraud Nigerians.

AIG Ezima called sextortion a “nagging issue” that has, in some cases, pushed victims to suicide, and urged victims to report early and without shame. He also reminded the public of Section 24(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act, 2024, which criminalises sending messages known to be false in order to cause a breakdown of law and order or threaten life. Offenders face fines, jail terms or both.