Osun State Government has announced its plan to set up a Cyber Crime Action Committee as part of its efforts to deal with cyber crimes, cyber bullying and deliberate online false news.
This was disclosed in a statement by the state’s Commissioner for Information and Public Engagement, Kolapo Alimi who said “the step became necessary to sanitise the governance space and ensure that politicking and governance take place under an atmosphere of responsibility, decency and honesty” on Sunday.
“The committee domiciled at the Ministry of Justice has as members journalists and legal practitioners. The mandate is to ensure that fake news are nipped in the bid, no matter who the perpetrators are,” he said.
“The committee is to apply relevant sections of the Cybercrime Act of 2015 as operational clauses to ensure all stakeholders operate within the law in the exercise and enjoyment of their fundamental human rights.
“Section 24 (1) of the Cybercrime Act, 2015 reads: ‘A person who knowingly or intentionally sends a message or other matter by means of computer systems or network that is grossly offensive, pornographic or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character or causes any such message or matter to be sent, or he knows to be false, for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience danger, obstruction, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred, ill will or needless anxiety to another or causes such a message to be sent, commits an offence under this Act and is liable on conviction to a fine of not more than N7,000, 000.00 or imprisonment for a term, not more than three years or both.”
The committee is set to host its inaugural meeting on Monday.
