Hardline Nigerian official pledges to arrest internet scammers

In a world-first move, a top Nigerian official has pledged to do more to jail the perpetrators of Nigerian internet scams that police say are costing Australians at least $40 million a year.

But Sunday Olu Agbi, the hardline Nigerian high commissioner who is based in Canberra, stands by his comments from last year that most victims of the scams are just as guilty as the fraudsters and should be jailed as well.

The Nigerian Government has teamed up with Queensland Police to create an "online reporting system" on the Queensland Police website where any Australians who believe they have been targeted by a scam can report it directly to Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Police say this will greatly speed up investigations and solve the problem of victims not reporting scams to police because they are embarrassed or feel foolish. Professor Olu Agbi said the portal would lead to the arrest and prosecution of Nigerian scammers.