Lagos State Calls on Residents to Protect Their Online Identity

The Lagos State Security Trust Fund has called on residents of Lagos and Nigeria to protect their online identity from theft as cyber fraud increases.

During a YouTube session on Saturday, Dr Oladimeji Moses, the Lagos State Coordinator of the LSSTF Campaign Against Crime, Cultism and Other Vices, said the training aimed to tackle the rise in cybercrime.

He mentioned that data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed an increase in cyber fraud, leading to financial losses for victims.

Dr Moses said, “The reason why we are here today is because of the prevalence of cybercrime everywhere. From the statistics of the NBS, over 119,000 data breaches were recorded in 2025, and millions were lost to cybercrime, which is becoming a major issue in our community.

“The essence of this programme is to equip you with the knowledge you need to be able to protect yourself against cyberbullying and fraudsters, people who will come into your DM and request vital information to hack your account.”

He urged participants to use what they learned from the session to fight against cyber fraud and protect themselves from online criminals.

Keeping Safe in the Digital World

Oluwabamise Soile, who gave a keynote lecture titled ‘Staying safe in a digital world’, advised residents to prioritize their safety by protecting their digital identity.

She pointed out that sharing too much personal information on social media can put people at risk of identity theft, which can be used to commit crimes.

Soile said that Personally Identifiable Information, like bank details, tokens, biometrics, and other security details, should not be posted on social media to avoid falling victim to identity theft.

She ended her talk by asking the government to use technology that can help track criminals through digital identity and cut down on crime.

Also speaking, Meshole Emmanuel, the LSSTF-CACCOV Head of Programmes and Outreach, encouraged participants to protect their digital identity by not sharing sensitive information about themselves.

He warned that sharing personal information can allow cyber criminals to defraud victims.

He concluded by urging participants to report data breaches and any cybersecurity threats to the right authorities while taking quick action to safeguard their data.