CLCC Wants FG To Halt Cybersecurity Levy

The Centre for Law and Civil Culture (CLCC) has called on the Federal Government (FG) to immediately stop the proposed cybersecurity levy, describing it as an anti-peoples' policy.

The group also called on Nigerians to voice out en masse and resist by all legal means the introductions of 'obnoxious policy'.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had ordered banks to enact the process of deduction of cybersecurity levy to be administered by the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA).

The CBN gave the directive in a circular to different categories of banks, mobile money operators, payment service providers and others, signed by the Director of Payments System Management, Chibuzor Efobi and the Director of Financial Policy and Regulation, Haruna Mustafa.  

However, CLCC in a statement titled "Five different charges on a single transaction, appeal for immediate suspension of 5% cybersecurity charges', signed by its Executive Secretary, Abdul Ganeey Imran, the group noted that the introduction of the cybercrime fees/charges would make it the 5th charges that would be levied on a single electronic transfer.

The statement reads: "Our attention at the Centre for Law and Civil Culture has been drawn to the highly disturbing and provocative directive by the Central Bank of Nigeria instructing the commercial banks across the country to subject each customer who carries out electronic transaction/transfer, to a 5% cybersecurity charges in line with the provision of the Cybercrime (prohibition, prevention, ETC) Amendment Act, 2024.

"It is sad to note that before this latest directive by the CBN, Nigerians have been subjected to four different types of fees on just a single electronic transaction carried out in any commercial bank and other financial institutions via electronic media. For clarity, commercial banks do charge transfer fees, stamp duty fees, Value Added Tax and SMS fees.

"The introduction of the cybercrime fees/charges would make it the 5th charge that would be levied on a single electronic transfer.

"CLCC condemns the Cybercrime charges or any other charges as all that will further worsen the terrible and atrocious economic hardship that Nigerians have been subjected to in the last few years.  

"CLCC maintains that introductions of such policy at this critical period are insensitive, callous, heartless, and cruel. It constitutes a violent violation of the fundamental rights of the good people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

"We therefore call for the immediate suspension of this policy and urge the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) as well as the Central Bank of Nigeria to immediately put a halt to this anti-people policy.

“We also call on Nigerians to voice out en masse and resist by all legal means possible the introductions of this obnoxious policy”.

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