By Daily Scope Reporter
FREETOWN — The Deputy Clerk of Parliament, Gilbert Bosco Nhabay, has warned that no one is immune to cybercrime, revealing that Members of Parliament and senior parliamentary staff have recently fallen victim to WhatsApp takeover scams.
“If it can happen in Parliament, it can happen anywhere,” Nhabay said during the official launch of Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2026 at Parliament Building on Wednesday.
The month-long campaign is being held under the theme “Securing Sierra Leone’s Digital Future: A National Call to Cyber Resilience.”
Nhabay, who delivered the keynote address on behalf of the Clerk of Parliament, said cybersecurity has become critical as banking, education, commerce and governance increasingly move online. He said criminals hijack WhatsApp accounts, impersonate trusted individuals and fraudulently solicit money and spread false information.
He stressed that cybersecurity cannot be achieved through legislation alone, but requires partnership, protection and progress, with collective responsibility from government, regulators, security agencies, financial institutions, telecom companies, development partners, civil society, academia and the media.
Earlier, Director of ICT in Parliament, Joseph Conteh, said online scams are on the rise and urged citizens never to disclose passwords, PINs or authentication codes. He said Parliament demonstrated its commitment by enacting the Cyber Security and Crime Act, 2021.
Nhabay also unveiled Parliament’s 2026–2028 Cybersecurity Capacity Building Programme. The 2026 phase focuses on awareness and culture with staff training, phishing simulations and risk assessment. The 2027 phase will develop a Cybersecurity Policy, Incident Response Plan and Governance and Risk Committee, while the 2028 phase will focus on technical capacity, advanced training and threat detection systems.
He announced the launch of “The Cyber Law, Explained for Kids,” an initiative to simplify the 58 sections of the Cyber Security and Crime Act into child-friendly language.
Head of the Cybersecurity Unit, Mohamed Lebbie, said activities for the month include practical training and an inter-departmental cyber competition, noting that cybersecurity is the daily responsibility of every MP and staff member, not just ICT.
The launch featured a panel discussion on “Responding to Rising Cybercrime: Building a Resilient Digital Sierra Leone” with representatives from the National Cybersecurity Coordination Centre (NC3), National Communications Authority (NatCA), Sierra Leone Police Cybercrime Unit and the Legislative Committee.
The event was moderated by Principal Public Relations Officer Sulaiman Bah, who called for collective action to promote safe online practices.
The programme ended with a vote of thanks by Jewelyn Collingwoode Martyn of the Cybersecurity Unit.
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