The federal government has expanded the mandate of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), formally authorizing it to probe serious offences ranging from cyber terrorism and electronic fraud to child pornography and online sexual exploitation, through amendments made to Schedule I of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2010 (AMLA).
The federal government has empowered the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) to investigate a wide range of offences, including cyber terrorism (Section 10), electronic fraud (Section 14), unauthorized use of identity information (Section 16), issuance of unauthorized SIM cards (Section 17), child pornography (Section 22), online grooming and cyber enticement (Section 22A), commercial sexual exploitation of children (Section 22B), use of information systems for kidnapping or trafficking of minors (Section 22C), and dissemination of false or fake information (Section 26A).
According to a notification issued by the Finance Division, the federal government has designated the NCCIA as the investigating and prosecuting agency under the amended law.
Exercising powers under Section 42 of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2010 (Act No. VII of 2010), the government directed the insertion of a new “Section XV” in Schedule-I, incorporating the above-mentioned offences.
It is pertinent to mention that the government established the NCCIA on May 3, 2024, to investigate cybercrime in the country. The agency replaced the Cybercrime Wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).