The Nigeria Police Force said its National Cybercrime Center (NCCC) recovered the sum of N8.8 billion, 115,237.91 USDT, and $84,000 in 2024.
ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the Force Police Public Relations Officer, who made this known in a statement on Tuesday, noted that the development followed the efforts of the Force to tackle every form of crime in all spheres.
Adejobi asserted that the amounts have been restituted to the victims of cybercrime, reaffirming the commitment of the Force to protecting citizens and ensuring justice for those affected by fraudulent activities.
The statement reads in part, “In the relentless efforts of the Nigeria Police Force to tackle every form of crime in all spheres, the Force has recorded an outstanding achievement for the year 2024 in retrospect, particularly in the area of combatting cybercrime.
“In the year 2024, the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Center (NPF-NCCC) successfully recovered a staggering N8,821,001,881.80 (Eight Billion, Eight Hundred and Twenty-One Million, One Thousand, Eight Hundred and Eighty-One Naira, Eighty Kobo), 115,237.91 USDT, and $84,000 (Eighty-Four Thousand Dollars).
“These significant amounts have been restituted to the victims of cybercrime, reaffirming the commitment of the Force to protecting citizens and ensuring justice for those affected by fraudulent activities.
“Similarly, in the past year, the Cybercrime Unit has actively engaged in strategic operations, resulting in the arrests and prosecutions of over 751 individuals involved in cybercrime. The unit has successfully recovered a total of 685 devices that were used in these nefarious activities, which include 467 mobile phones, 137 laptops and computers, 46 routers, 4 servers, 1 drone, and 4 Starlink devices. Additionally, the operations led to the confiscation of 16 houses, 39 plots of land, 14 land documents, and 26 vehicles, further dismantling the infrastructure supporting cybercriminal activities.
“In recognition of its outstanding performance and dedication, the NPF-NCCC has been awarded the title of the Best Cybercrime Unit in Africa for 2024 by the INTERPOL Cybercrime Directorate based in Singapore, securing the top position among 54 participating African countries. These achievements reflects the dedication of the Nigeria Police Force to fighting cybercrime and enhancing the safety of citizens in the digital space.
“In furtherance to efforts towards keeping the cyberspace safe, operatives of the NPF-NCCC have apprehended 4 suspects identified as Douglass Victor ‘m’, Egbo Efe Martins ‘m’, Lucky Adesunloye ‘m’, and Ndifreke Joseph Moody ‘m’, for various cyber-related offences.”