THE RISE OF CYBER-CRIMES IN NIGERIA by Adebola Abel(winner of justinfo blog writeup competition)

Cyber-crime is one of the major talking point in Nigeria currently, if we are to shy away from the political scene. So what is cyber-crime? This is any crime that involves a computer and a network, the computer may be the target. It's also an offence committed against individual or group with a criminal motive to intentionally harm the victim either mentally or through loss of property. Cybercrimes splits into categories such as internet fraud, BVN scam, ATM fraud, identity theft, ware fraud, phishing, hacking, to say a few.

The standard of living in Nigeria, is one of the most opined reason that promotes the rise of cyber crimes, frankly speaking, the state of the economy is nothing to write home about, from unemployment, corrupt leaders, missing funds, misappropriation, etc. An illiterate between the age bracket 18 - 30 , finds it extremely hard to feed himself, because his menial job cannot conveniently provide 3square meal per day. This would leave him at the cross road of decisions to make.

According to research carried out by department of computer engineering, Ekiti state university, as at 2017, it's discovered that about 39.6% of internet users in Africa are Nigerians, and about 80% of youth between the age bracket above,have mobile phone (using south-west states as targeted area ). So we see the possibility of cyber-crimes would continue to increase as the economic crisis deepens. The youth in this age bracket above, can be trimmed to categories like, the unadmitted that are tired of writing Utme and seek other route to success, the poor children of the masses that cannot afford education, but wants to make ends meet, the undergraduate in the institutions, but cannot meet the financial demands of the institution, the unemployed graduate who wants to have a good life after going through the struggles of education,everyone wants to have a better future for themselves.

The roles of parents and guidance have a lot to do, as we look at curbing this raging act. Parents ought to inculcate good morals, and instill handwork as the core ingredient in achieving success to their wards, and try to talk them out of the effect of social vises. The government on the other hand has a larger share of responsibility, they are to provide platforms for the masses that can't afford education, to empower them and provide jobs for all categories of people including those in the institutions, not forgetting the handicapped and physically challenged. Strict punishment for those caught in the act, and also government anti-crimes agency should see their job as an opportunity to create a new Nigeria for their next generation.

As the youth seek to take their future in their hands, cyber-crimes looks like the light at the end of the tunnel, but let them know that wealth gotten from reputable source is recognized above other illegal sources, and till tomorrow, Hard work remains the core virtue to possess.