Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno (retd.), the National Security Adviser, stated that social media has become a platform to circulate riotous content to rouse violence, especially with the recent #EndSARS protest.
Monguno disclosed this at the multi-stakeholders workshop for the validation of the draft on national cybersecurity policy and strategy 2020. The workshop was organized by his office in Abuja on Wednesday.
He also stated that the cyberspace contributed to the increase in terrorism, fake news and other criminal activities.
The security adviser revealed the Federal Government initiative on National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy, NCPS, 2020 to curb digital threats and improve national security and economic growth.
He added that his office had inaugurated a multi-stakeholders committee on September 10, 2020, to review the NCPS 2014. He stated that the government’s decision to develop policies that could curb cyberspace threats.
The review, according to him, was to strengthen the existing cyber policy which is reviewed every five years.
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The NSA stated, ‘We are witnesses to the use of social media to disseminate subversive content to incite violence and heightened tension, causing unrest and sparking widespread looting and destruction across the country.’
‘The threats posed by cyber terrorists and the use of the internet has brought social media circulation of hate speech and seditious messages; it is almost impossible to overstate the challenges.’
Likewise, Gabriel Olonisakin, the Chief of Defence Staff, described cyber-terrorism as a major challenge in the Nigerian space. He referred to the cyberspace as the latest theatre of war after land, sea, and airspace ‘since it has no boundary and does not obey conditional rules of warfare.’
The CDS stated that cyberspace was a means to facilitate various terrorist activities such as recruitment, training, propaganda, intelligence gathering and fundraising.
‘Considering the rapid and constant evolution of the cyberspace, it is, therefore, imperative that this document be reviewed at this time as initiated by the office of the NSA’, the Chief of Defence Staff stated.