IGP reorganises police cybercrime units for effectiveness, efficiency

*Merges units into agency’s cybercrime section, appoints Henry as head

*Decorates officer honoured with national honour by Buhari, promoted ACP

*As Journalists celebrate Force PRO on birthday anniversary

By KEMI KASUMU, ABIRHIRE THOMAS, Delta and SUMAYYAH ADEFAKA, Lagos

The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, has ordered the immediate reorganisation of cybercrime units in the Nigeria Police Force to ensure effectiveness, efficiency and a formidable front against cybercrime-related offences provided for in the Cybercrime Prevention Act, 2015.

Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, madevthis known in a statement obtained by The DEFENDER on Friday.

In the statement with Ref No. CZ.5300/FPRD/FHQ/ABJ/VOL.4/1947 dated November 11, 2022, it was stated that the reorganisation “means that all the various units under investigative departments, hitherto investigating cybercrimes, will be merged under the Nigeria Police Force National Cyber-crime Centre domiciled in the Force Criminal Investigations Department, Force Headquarters, Abuja.”

According to Adejobi, a Chief Superintendent of Police, the IGP equally ordered the appointment of Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP Henry Uche Ifeanyi, as the Director in charge of the newly merged Centre.

DCP Uche holds a Master’s Degree in Security and Strategic Studies from the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Cybersecurity at the University of Glasgow, Scotland.

He is a certified Ethical Hacker and a Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator having attended several local and international courses on cyber security. He is equally a member of INTERPOL Cybercrime Advisory Body, Association of Cybercrime Specialists, amongst other professional associations.

“Similarly, the Inspector-General of Police decorated the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Nasarawa Division, who was the former DPO of Bompai Division, Kano State Command of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Daniel Itse Amah who rejected a bribe of $200,000 in Kano, with his new rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) on Friday 11th November, 2022 in the IGP’s office at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.

“Recall that the Police Service Commission (PSC) on Thursday rewarded the senior officer with a special promotion to the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) and cash sum of N1 million for rejecting the bribe to cover up a crime reported at his Division,” CSP Adejobi said.

In the meantime, on the sidelines of some of the activities of the IGP, birthday of the Force PRO, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, was also marked on Friday November 11, 2022 mainly by Journalists including those at The DEFENDER, who were unanimous about fact that the ‘birthday boy’ is a “police officer with  difference”.