EFFECTS OF TRANS-BORDER CRIMES ON NIGERIA’S SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Trans-border crime is a scourge whose harm is equivalent to that of Covid-19 and other related pandemics that require a national emergency response. Trans-border crimes fuel insecurity, endanger the social and mental health of the people, stunt businesses and hinder economic growth, create political instability as well as enhance the production and distribution of counterfeit goods. This paper examined the patterns and causes of trans-border crimes in Nigeria and their implications on the country’s socio-economic development. Data for the study, which were collected through such secondary sources as journal articles, textbooks, research reports, conference proceedings and the internet, were analyzed qualitatively. The routine activity theory was adopted for the study. The findings of the study revealed that smuggling of illegal goods, trafficking in persons, trafficking of illicit small arms and light weapons (SLAW) and smuggling of contrabands by business men and women, rebels, combatants and criminal gangs constituted the patterns through which trans-border crimes flourish. Border porosity, poverty, corruption, price inflation, unemployment, uneven opportunities and Nigeria’s geographical location, were the predisposing causes of trans-border crimes. The study recommends punitive sanctions including long term imprisonment for corrupt border patrol personnel and smugglers while the government should provide employment opportunities for the teeming population of unemployed Nigerian youths who may be lured into engaging in trans-border crimes. Technology-enabled devices such as drones, CCTV Cameras and scanners should be deployed to effectively man the country’s porous land borders to stem the tide of trans-border criminality.