E-Business
Nigerian Police, HP Close Down Print Cartridges Counterfeiting Facilities in Major Seizure
Nigerian Police authorities with, the support of HP’s Anti-Counterfeit and Fraud team, have successfully halted three major counterfeiting operations trading illegal HP print cartridges in the Nigerian market.
In July 2021, local Nigerian authorities conducted three major raids on several large-scale counterfeiting premises in the Nasarawa state and the Abuja area. The resulting seizures saw officials confiscate over 5,000 illicit items from various commercial sites, preventing their unlawful sale within Nigeria.
“Counterfeiting is an illegal activity that not only negatively impacts the business of resellers and distributors, but also affects the product experience for our customers. HP Original ink supplies have been developed to consistently deliver high quality results while ensuring minimal impact on the environment” said Emmanuel Asika, Country Head, HP Nigeria.
“We value our longstanding partnership with the Nigerian authorities and the exceptional success of our Anti-Counterfeiting and Fraud Programme in safeguarding our customers from the illegal sale of fraudulent HP products”
Counterfeiting is not only an illegal activity, but it also negatively impacts the businesses of both resellers and distributors. A recent study by the Organisation for European Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) shows that international trade in counterfeit and pirated goods represents up to 3.3% of world trade, or as much as USD $509 billion.
In the European Union (EU), counterfeit and pirated goods amount to up to 6.8% of imports or as much as EUR €121 billion. The report also notes that counterfeiting causes companies to lose revenue, leading to direct and indirect job losses, in addition to lost revenue for the government.
Although counterfeit cartridges may look like genuine HP cartridges, they do not provide the high print quality, reliability, and yields that customers have come to expect from original HP products.
Instead, using counterfeit cartridges can entail significant risks. These risks can include cartridges which fail prematurely or do not work at all, and even damaged printers due to ink or toner leakages.
Due to their often-poor print quality and necessary re-prints, counterfeits are likely to waste valuable resources such as paper or energy. At the end of life, it is unlikely that counterfeit cartridges are recycled.
By comparison more than 875 million Original HP Ink and Toner Cartridges have been recycled by customers with HP Planet Partners, and more than 4.7 billion recycled plastic bottles have been used by HP to manufacture new Original HP Ink Cartridges.
Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has launched an investigation into allegations that the confidentiality and integrity of candidates’ personal data may have been compromised by hackers.
The Commission initiated the inquiry following concerns over possible data breaches during examinations.
Preliminary findings indicate that several examination centres may not have implemented adequate technical and organizational measures to safeguard candidates’ personal information, as required under data protection regulations.
Although the incident reportedly affected 379, 997 candidates, the NDPC’s investigation is poised to cover a systemic audit of data processing and third parties.
It will be recalled that JAMB recently admitted that a technical error on its platform affected a total of 379,997 candidates in 157 examination centres across Lagos and the South-East.
Further investigation led to the arrest of at least 20 suspects who are currently in the custody of the Department of State Services and the Nigerian Police Force.
Cyber security firm, Kaspersky, has once again warned that sophisticated cybercriminals increasingly target Africa as ransomware and advanced persistent threats (APTs) escalate across the region.
Speaking at the company’s annual Cyber Security Weekend for the Middle East, Turkiye and Africa (META) region, the cybersecurity firm’s Global Research and Analysis Team highlighted growing digital threats affecting African nations.
Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa emerged as hotspots, with Kenya recording one of the highest web threat incident rates at 20.1% in first quarter 2025.
“While ransomware is less prevalent in Africa due to lower levels of digitisation and economic constraints, countries like South Africa and Nigeria are seeing a sharp rise in attacks,” said Sergey Lozhkin, head of META and APAC regions at Kaspersky.
Kaspersky noted a 0.01 percentage point increase in African ransomware cases year-on-year, reaching 0.41%, still below global and Middle Eastern averages, but a troubling sign for the continent’s emerging digital infrastructure.
Experts warned that attackers are refining their tactics, shifting focus to unconventional entry points like IoT devices, smart appliances, and misconfigured hardware.
“As these economies expand digitally, sectors such as manufacturing, finance and government are becoming key targets,” said Lozhkin
The cyber-crime landscape is evolving quickly, fuelled by AI tools and dark web access to large language models, which enable less skilled actors to launch convincing phishing and malware campaigns.
Groups like FunkSec, which uses AI-generated code and a low-cost ransom model, are redefining ransomware operations.
“African organisations face the dual challenge of expanding digital footprints and limited cybersecurity awareness. This makes layered defense strategies, including network segmentation, real-time monitoring and regular staff training, essential,” stated Lozhkin
Kaspersky continues to monitor 25 active APT groups in the META region, including SideWinder and MuddyWater, some of which are known to target African institutions.
To bolster defenses, the firm recommends using tools such as its free Anti-Ransomware Tool for Business and the Kaspersky Next suite for threat visibility and response.
Nigeria recently launched a new joint case team to step up its response to cybercrimes that affect people and businesses at home and abroad.
The ‘Joint Case Team on Cybercrime’ brings together Nigeria’s key justice and security agencies to work as one, making it easier to detect, investigate, and prosecute digital offences.
It is supported by the UK National Crime Agency, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and the Commonwealth Secretariat, as part of a wider effort to promote international cooperation on cybercrime.
Speaking at the launch in Abuja, Prince Lateef Fagbemi SAN, minister of justice and attorney general of the federation described the initiative as “a bold and transformative stride in Nigeria’s justice system.”
He said that although Nigeria has a national legal framework to address cyber offences, laws alone are not enough.
Nigeria is among the countries most affected by cybercrime around the world, with increasing financial losses.
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