Cybercrime and national security in Nigeria

This study examined Cybercrime and national security in Nigeria. The rise of technology online has made Nigeria one of the very connected nations, which enable communication, trade, and international relation. Nevertheless, greater connectivity has also incremented chances of hacking which present serious threat to national security. Nigeria has gained an international reputation as a source of several types of cybercrime, especially the so-called advanced fee fraud or 419 activities, as well as hacking, phishing, identity theft, and ATM fraud. Such cases have thrived in an enabling environment that has seen high unemployment in the country, poverty level, and lack of effective implementation of laws governing cyber activities. Unemployment levels are highly among the youth with the rate at 55.4 percent and a large percentage of the population struggling to live below the poverty line, which is why many see cybercrime as a good economic option. This state of affairs undermines the confidence of the masses, deters foreign investment and causes weaknesses that can be used by the criminal and terrorist networks. Adopting the Marxist theoretical framework, the analysis provided an academic interpretation of cyber-crime as an outcome of structural social-economic disparities and structural exclusion in Nigeria. It reckons that such countermeasures should not only encompass a policing approach; it should also touch on socio-economic changes based on which digital criminality has its origins. The study recommends that National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) should formulate and deploy a national cyber-awareness campaign that would target schools, companies, and government institutions, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) should strengthen and modernise its Cybercrime departments by introducing superior Cybercrime digital forensic equipment and more human resources.