The Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF) has advised residents of Lagos and Nigerians to take stronger measures to protect their digital identities as cyber fraud and identity theft continue to rise.
Speaking during a YouTube awareness session, the Lagos State Coordinator of the LSSTF Campaign Against Crime, Cultism and Other Vices (CACCOV), Dr. Oladimeji Moses, said the programme was organised to educate the public on the growing threat of cybercrime.
He noted that statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed a significant increase in cyber fraud cases, resulting in financial losses for many victims.
According to him, more than 119,000 data breaches were recorded in 2025, underscoring the need for greater public awareness and stronger cybersecurity practices.
Moses explained that the training was designed to equip participants with practical knowledge to protect themselves from cyberbullying, online scams and fraudsters who attempt to obtain sensitive information through social media and other digital platforms.
He encouraged attendees to apply the lessons learned to safeguard their personal information and avoid becoming victims of cybercriminals.
Delivering a keynote presentation titled “Staying Safe in a Digital World,” Payaza’s Lead Security Governance and Risk Officer, Oluwabamise Soile, urged individuals to be more cautious about the amount of personal information they share online.
She warned that excessive exposure of personal details on social media increases the risk of digital identity theft, which can be exploited by criminals for fraudulent activities.
Soile advised Nigerians to avoid sharing personally identifiable information, including banking details, security tokens, biometric data and other sensitive information, on public platforms.
She also called on the government to adopt advanced digital identity technologies that could help security agencies identify criminals and strengthen crime prevention efforts.
Also speaking, the Head of Programmes and Outreach for LSSTF-CACCOV, Meshole Emmanuel, urged participants to protect their personal information and remain vigilant against cyber threats.
He encouraged members of the public to promptly report data breaches and cybersecurity incidents to the relevant authorities while taking immediate steps to secure their digital accounts and information.
