One careless click can ruin your life.
That was the chilling warning from the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji Disu, on Thursday, as he declared open war on casual cybercrime in Nigeria.
Speaking in Abuja at the 2026 Cybersecurity Awareness Campaign of the NPF National Cybercrime Centre, themed “Towards a Resilient Cyberspace: Think Before You Click,” the police boss said thousands of Nigerians are sleepwalking into prison.
“Many Nigerians do not wake up to commit cybercrime. They stumble into it through small things done casually,” Disu warned.
And ignorance, he said, will no longer save you.
Quoting the Cybercrimes Act 2015 as amended, Disu listed the offences the Police will not overlook:
1. Snooping: Opening someone else’s phone, WhatsApp, email, Facebook or Instagram without permission. It is hacking. It is criminal.
2. Impersonation: Creating a fake account with another person’s name and picture to deceive or defame. You will be tracked and charged.
3. Cyberbullying: Sending threats, insults, or harassing messages online. That DM can become your prison warrant.
4. Fake News: Knowingly forwarding false information that causes panic, chaos or endangers lives. Before you forward, think.
5. Revenge Porn: Sharing nude or private videos and photos of anyone without consent. For children, the punishment is even heavier.
6. Account Laundering: Lending your bank account or SIM card to a friend, lover or stranger to receive money you cannot explain. If that money is fraud, YOU are the fraudster.
7. Forgery and Identity Theft: Making fake alerts, fake receipts, trading people’s BVN, NIN, ATM card details. That is forgery, fraud and cybercrime rolled into one.
“Your thumb is powerful; one tap can build a life or ruin one. So before you post, pause. Before you forward, verify. Before you lend, think,” Disu thundered.
“The penalties include imprisonment and heavy fines.”
The IGP said the era of reactive policing is over. The Force is now moving from chasing yesterday’s crime to predicting and crushing tomorrow’s.
“We must move from incident response to threat anticipation, from reactive investigation to proactive disruption,” he declared, describing officers of the NPF-NCCC as guardians of Nigeria’s digital frontier.
He also fired a direct shot at banks, fintechs, payment platforms and telcos, warning that insider collusion will no longer be tolerated.
“Privileged access must be tightly governed and suspicious patterns must trigger prompt review,” he said, ordering tighter screening, transaction monitoring and internal audits.
This is not about trust, he said — it is about accountability.
To young Nigerians chasing quick wealth, Disu was blunt and brutal:
“Do not let pressure for quick wealth mortgage your future. Cybercrime can cost your freedom, reputation and peace of mind. Choose creativity over criminality and integrity over shortcuts.”
He urged parents to teach online safety as a survival skill and urged victims of fraud, sextortion, bullying and online recruitment to report immediately.
The message is clear: The internet is no longer lawless. Think before you click — or be ready to pay for that click with your freedom.