Cybercrime: A Threat to National Security in Nigeria

It is no news in Nigeria that cybercrime has become a smart and fast means to an end without considering the dangers it exposes its targeted victims and the country at large. It has consistently exhibited an upward movement, especially in the area of scams, website cloning, phishing, fraudulent electronic mails, cyber harassment, data breaches, online deception, Automated Teller Machine Fraud, employment scams, among others. This menace, which is spreading like wildfire predominantly among youths in Nigeria, has eventually become a threat to national security. This study aims to identify the causes of cybercrime and recommend solutions to ensure a safe cyber ecosystem. Thus, the essence of this paper is to bring to bear how cybercrime constitutes a threat to national security. A qualitative research method was employed utilizing document and content analysis. Data collection was from secondary data sources. Findings reveal that the Nigerian population has been on a steady increase from 2020 to 2024, with a minimum rate of 2.10% in 2024 and a progressive increase of 3.8% in the urban population between 2020 and 2024. This study further reveals that the unemployment rate increased from 4.1 in Q1 2023 to 5.0 in Q3 2023. Youth unemployment increased from 6.9% in Q1 2023 to 8.6% in Q3 2023. Urban unemployment moved from 5.4 in Q1 to 6.0 in Q3 of 2023. Findings also reveal that Nigeria is the 5th country in the world with the highest cybercrime incidents, with an impact rate of 8.25, with professionalism rate of 6.49 and 52.17% in scams. Recommendations include strict compliance with data protection laws, reducing unemployment, increasing cybersecurity manpower, among others.