The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is collaborating with Nigerian musicians to try and persuade people not to engage in digital scams. Ten Nigerian artists released a song titled 'Maga no need pay' earlier this month, which will be a precursor to the first West African Cybercrime Summit, to be hosted by Nigeria later this year.
The release of the song is a reaction to a groundswell of popular music glorifying 419 scams, so called because section 419 of the Nigerian Criminal Code specifically forbids obtaining money by false pretenses.
The Nigerian government may be a little too late to the party with its musical campaign, and might also need to build some more popular credibility. Dating back to at least 2005, 419-focused anthems include titles such as I go chop your dollar, by Nkem Owoh, a highly acclaimed Nigerian actor and comedian who won the African Movie Academy Award for best actor in a leading role.
"Chairman of EFCC, Mrs. Farida Waziri commended the artistes for their creativity and expressed the hope that public users would take a cue from them rather than engage in nefarious activities," said a statement from the EFCC.
This year, Project Eagle Claw, a border initiative to tackle cybercrime by the Nigerian Government, comes into full effect. Announced in October, the scheme is intended to take down as many as 5000 fraudulent emails each month.
In the West, other potential victims prefer to take things into their own hands. 'Scam baiters', aware of the criminals' actions, have taken to asking the perpetrators to perform increasingly bizarre acts as a way of proving their sincerity. The 419 scammers have, in the past, been asked to send photographs of themselves holding self-deprecating signs, carve Commodore 64 computers from blocks of wood, and video themselves performing the entire dead parrot sketch from Monty Python.
According to UNICEF, the 2007 gross national income per capita in Nigeria was $930. In 2005, 64% of the population was below the international poverty line of $1.25 per day.