By Joy Odor Reportcircle News
Nigeria’s war against digital fraudsters intensified on Thursday as the nation’s top banking executives stormed the headquarters of the police cyber command to seal a joint crackdown on hackers draining accounts and attacking financial systems.
The high-level delegation from the Body of Bank Chief Executive Officers met with officials of the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre in Abuja in what security authorities described as a strategic move to choke cybercriminal networks operating through the country’s banking channels.
Receiving the bankers, the Centre’s Director, CP Ifeanyi Uche Henry, declared that modern crime no longer respects borders and policing must now be intelligence-driven and technology-powered.
He warned that financial institutions remain prime targets and sometimes unwilling conduits for cyber-attacks.
“Our operations now combine proactive intelligence gathering, digital forensics and international collaboration to track cybercriminals wherever they operate,” he said.
The commissioner outlined the centre’s operational focus:
investigation and prosecution
support for cybercrime cases
digital forensic analysis of electronic evidence
cyber intelligence and social media monitoring
threat assessment and surveillance
protection of Nigeria’s critical information infrastructure
According to him, only real-time cooperation with banks can block fraudulent transfers before funds disappear across borders.
Leader of the delegation, Mr. Nixon Iwedi, Chairman of the Body of Bank CEOs and Managing Director of Signature Bank, said the visit followed earlier security consultations with the Inspector-General of Police.
He stressed that financial fraud and cybercrime have become the banking industry’s most dangerous operational threat.
The banking sector, he noted, must work hand-in-hand with law enforcement to prevent criminals from weaponising digital payment systems.
Iwedi praised the centre’s professionalism and resilience in tracking cross-border fraud syndicates and recovering stolen funds.
Security insiders say the alliance is designed to move enforcement from reaction to prevention allowing banks to flag suspicious transactions instantly to investigators before criminals cash out.
Authorities believe the partnership could drastically cut:
account takeovers
phishing scams
identity theft
business email compromise fraud
international transfer laundering
Officials at the meeting admitted that Nigeria’s fast-growing digital payment ecosystem has expanded economic opportunities but also widened the battlefield for cyber gangs.
The new cooperation framework aims to integrate banking alerts directly into police intelligence systems, enabling immediate intervention rather than post-crime investigation.
As the meeting ended, both sides agreed on continuous information sharing and joint operational response.
The message from Abuja was blunt: the era of isolated bank security is over Nigeria is building a unified digital shield against cybercrime.
