The Encyclopedia Britannica defined cybercrime as the use of a computer as an instrument to further illegal ends, such as committing fraud, trafficking in child pornography and intellectual property; stealing identities, or violating privacy, among others. In other words, any criminal activity that can be carried out with the use of a computer is regarded as cybercrime.
That is to say, cybercrime is not limited to only internet fraud or scam as some people are often quick to assume. In Nigeria, cybercrime has become the order of the day amongst the youth who are out to make quick money. One can boldly say that many Nigerian youths are cybercriminals (Nigerianized as “Yahoo boys”). This is highly worrisome because it does not, to a large extent, project or present the people and the image of Nigeria decently to the world.
Consequently, people in other countries, especially the US and UK, are very wary of how they engage with certain Nigerians in some instances. This backdrop will lead to the gist of this piece. This article will discuss the reasons, implications, and remedies for cybercrime in Nigeria.
Realistically, many factors make up why many Nigerian youths are actively engaged in cybercrime. To many, it has become their occupation and source of livelihood because of poverty and unemployment in the nation.
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Unarguably, the high rate of unemployment in Nigeria tops the list of reasons many youths engage in it. Statistically, according to youth unemployment rates released by the National Bureau of Statistics in 2022, “about 53.40 percent of Nigerian youths are unemployed.” Unemployment largely contributes to why they are doing it. In the nation, many ‘frustrated’ university graduates are without jobs and are open to doing ‘anything’ because it seems to them that the country has nothing in store for them. Other factors such as poverty, peer/societal/parental pressure, and the desire to get rich quickly culminate in why they involve in cybercrime.
Further, the implication of cybercrime in Nigeria is so disturbing. It makes matters worse. Many Nigerians now suffer from the ruins of cybercrime in international and global contexts. However, it is deserving of note that cybercrime is a global phenomenon, and every country suffers from the effects individually. The implication is that Nigeria’s image has been battered by it. To the world, Nigeria is seen as the den of widely-known cybercriminals. As a result of this, some ‘innocent’ Nigerian youths also share in this misfortune. They cannot successfully interact or associate with citizens of these countries in some instances.
For instance, a younger brother of mine once complained to me that he lost a relationship with a friend in the US after the friend’s father got to know he is a Nigerian.
People in foreign countries are wary of certain Nigerians because they are afraid of getting scammed. In fact, these respective countries are taking preventive measures to curtail their citizens from engaging Nigerians in some situations.
What is more, in order to redeem that which has been lost, some things have to be done. One of the ways to curtail cybercrime in Nigeria is by engaging cyber intelligence to combat the scamming technicalities or methodologies deployed by these cybercriminals. It can be achieved through cybersecurity. Another way out is by creating jobs for the youth. To some extent, this will help curtailing cybercrime. Also, government can tackle this by establishing disciplinary punishment that is in accordance with the law. All these can help curb and curtail cybercrime.
In conclusion, having discussed all of the above, I urge the Nigerian youth to refrain from scam-related businesses. Doing so would help to reclaim and represent the country’s glorious image. Suggestively, the Internet space has several legitimate businesses from which the youth can do to earn money. Likewise, there are valuable skills they can possess to harness monetary opportunities.
Gbewa Segbenu, 200-level student of the Department of English, Lagos State University, wrote from Lagos.
