UNODC, ONSA Push Open Source Intelligence to Combat Cybercrime
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) have urged security agencies to embrace Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) for undercover online operations as part of renewed efforts to counter the rising wave of cybercrime.
Speaking at the opening of a five-day interagency training on OSINT and undercover operations in Abuja, UNODC Country Representative, Cheikh Touré, warned that West Africa’s security landscape was undergoing a fundamental transformation.
“The threats we once understood as physical and localised are now digital, transnational, and insidiously connected,” he said. “Criminal networks no longer operate solely in the shadows of the physical world; they thrive in the boundless, anonymous expanse of cyberspace.”
Touré stressed that cybercriminals increasingly exploit digital infrastructure to finance operations, spread violent propaganda, and coordinate activities at a pace that often outmatches traditional law enforcement. He described the intersection of terrorism and organised crime in the digital space as a “hybrid threat that demands a hybrid response.”
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National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, underscored the importance of partnerships and innovation in tackling cyber-enabled crimes. Represented by Prof. Muhammad Ya’u, Director of the National Cyber Training Institute of ONSA’s National Cybersecurity Coordination Centre (NCCC), Ribadu said cybercrime is evolving faster than legal and enforcement mechanisms.
“As physical and cyberspace continue to converge, so too do our challenges,” he noted. “Criminals have adapted quickly, using technology to move faster, hide deeper, and reach farther. While crime moves at the speed of light, we too often move at the speed of the law — and in that gap lies our greatest challenge.”
National Coordinator of the NCCC, Sa’ad Ahmed, represented by Sheriff Salary, highlighted the contributions of key partners, including the UNODC and the United States Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (USINL), in strengthening Nigeria’s fight against cybercrime.
“Crime is rapidly migrating into the digital domain and as criminals shift their operations online, they inevitably generate digital footprints — trails of evidence that can be traced, analysed, and exploited,” he said.
Participants in the training include officers from the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
By PRNigeria
