THE RISING CASE OF SOCIAL NETWORK CRIME RATES AMONGST NIGERIAN UNDERGRADUATES

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study: The invention of electronic devices such as modern communication hard-wares, internet service and computer systems has been a major landmark in human history. Ayantokun (2006), defined computer as a machine that performs tasks, such as calculation or electronic communication, under the control of a set of instructions called a program. Programs usually reside within the computer and are retrieved and processed by the computer’s electronics. The program results are stored or routed to output devices, such as video display monitors or printers. Oyewole and Obeta (2002), define a computer as an electronic device that accepts, processes, stores and outputs data at high speed according to programmed instructions. Computers perform a wide variety of activities reliably, accurately and quickly depending on the purpose it was designed for. Computer can be used in areas of education, medicine, engineering design, scientific research, office automation, personal administration etc (Morley and Parker, 2007). According to Rogers (1995), the rapid evolution of the computer brought the internet.

Some individuals in Nigeria have embraced social network crime as a way of life. Many have become rich while some others have been caught by the law (Tade and Aliyu, 2011). This new crime is denting and drilling holes in the economy of the nation. For example, in a recent report by the Internet Crime Complaint Center which is a partnership between the FBI and America’s National White Collar Crime Center, revealed that Nigeria now ranked third among the list of top ten sources of social network crime in the world (Abdulhamid et al, 2011). Also the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in its banking sector supervision report revealed that the Nigeria banking sector lost 7.2 billion naira to internet fraud (Ajewole, 2010). Losing 7.2 billion naira in a developing economy such as ours is not something to be proud about. Apart from the destruction social network crime does to the economy, it also is leads to the erosion of confidence in genuine Nigerian commercial credibility and today many western countries with France taking the lead have moved to deny Nigerian businessmen and women who are legitimate the rewards of e-commerce. France today requires web camera verification for most online business transactions from Nigeria (Longe and Chiemeke, 2008).

The youths in every society are of great importance and of great concern to that society because they are looked upon as the leaders of tomorrow. Olaide and Adewole (2004), observed that a sizeable number of criminals in Nigeria fall within the youthful ages and this youthful ages according to them ranged between 18-30 years. The youths at present have discovered different ways of using the internet in doing different types of criminal activities. In furtherance, these age brackets are usually found in tertiary institutions in Nigeria. The word tertiary simply means the third part or rank. Therefore, after the secondary education the next educational level is the tertiary education which provides advance instructional curriculum to students with a view to develop them for careers in life. Tertiary institutions include universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and colleges of technology. In most Nigeria tertiary institutions, various form of crimes are being witnessed ranging from examination malpractices, falsification of admission, rape, robbery and stealing, sexual abuse, assault, cultism amongst others. But in recent times cyber- crime, a new form of crime, now exists in our tertiary institutions. Students of tertiary institution now engage in cloning of websites, falser representations, internet purchase and other e- commerce kinds of fraud such as credit card fraud (Ribadu, 2007). It is for this reasons, this study work was conceived to study the rising case of social network crime in Enugu state University of Science and Technology and suggest solutions to the problem.

Statement of the Problem

In Nigeria, perpetrators of this crime who are commonly referred to as “yahoo yahoo boys” take advantage of e-commerce system available on the internet to defraud victims who are mostly foreigners thousands and sometimes millions of dollars. They fraudulently represent themselves as having particular goods to sell or that they are involved in a loan scheme project. They may even pose to have financial institution where money can be loaned out to prospective investors.  In this regard, persons and organization are duped or have fallen victims. However, these are not the only techniques used by these cyber-criminals, there could be others which the research intends to unravel.

Attempt to address social network crime by various governments and international organizations have not been successful owing to the fact that the identities of the perpetrators of social network crime remain ambiguous and inadequate. A study by Zero Tolerance (2006), indicates that cyber-criminals are usually within the age bracket of 18 to 30 years and they indulge in the crime in order to survive and have a taste of good life. Noting these observations, there is need to identify more attributes/characteristics these cyber-criminals possess and what are other causes since it have been acknowledged that a good taste of life is a major factor.

The internet create unlimited opportunities for commercial, social and educational activities, however, it has introduced its own peculiar risks that pose danger to the economy. This danger could affect many sectors of the society and put the development of the country into peril. Some of these possible adverse effects could include the destruction of the country’s image both at home and abroad, insecurity of both life and properties, fear of doing business with Nigerian’s citizen, economic loss of spending substantial amount of money on the prevention and control of cyber crime amongst others. For example, a survey on social network crime conducted in 2001 by Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and other parties including Price water house Coopers, states that social network crime could hinder the growth of e-business because it makes people to be afraid (Broadhurst and Grabosky, 2005). In essence, what other menace does social network crime poses to the society.

Research Questions

1. What is the pattern of rising case of social network crime in Enugu state University of Science and Technology?

2. What are the social attributes of those involved in social network crime in Enugu state University of Science and Technology?

3. What are the factors responsible for social network crime in the study area?

4. What are the types of social network crime common among cyber-criminals in Enugu state University of Science and Technology?

5. What are the consequences of social network crime in the study area?

6. How can social network crime be curtailed?

Aim and Objectives of the Study

The objectives of the study are as follows:

1. To find out the pattern of rising case of social network crime in Enugu state University of Science and Technology.

2. To explore the social attributes of those involved in social network crime in Enugu state University of Science and Technology.

3. To identify the causes of social network crime in the study area.

4. To identify the types of social network crime that is common in the study area.

5. To examine the consequences of social network crime in the study area.

6. To suggest appropriate solutions to the problem.

Significance of the Study

With the ever increasing pace of development, social network crime has become an inevitable and a more specialized area of crime which threatens the economy and even the peace and security of the nation. The publicity surrounding Nigeria social network crime is raising fears that the country may face a slowdown in international investment in telecommunication as well as the financial sectors (Thomas, 2011). As more Nigerians use the internet for their banking needs, the number of fraudsters eyeing people’s bank accounts and online financial transactions has also multiplied. Hence, this study has provided useful information on the factors responsible for the increase rate of social network crime in the society.

Above all, taking into account that social network crime and the underlying criminology behind cyber criminals are very new and there is a relative shortage of available research and literature on the subject. This therefore, makes this study very important because the study has added to the existing literature by revealing a number of different bases on what typically makes and motivates cyber- criminals and also identify the consequences it has in the society.

Scope of the Study

The study revolves around issues on the rising case of social network crime. It was conducted in ESUT, Enugu State.

Definition of Key Terms

Computer:   Computer is described as an electronic machine that works under the control of   store information (programs). It accept data (input), store data in the memory and process the data to produce the required result in a specified format as information (output).

Crime: Crime is an act that violates the basic values and beliefs of society. Those values  and beliefs are manifested as laws that the society agrees upon. It could also be referred to an act of committing an offence that is not in line with the laid down laws. Crime is a legal concept and has the sanction of the law (Williams in Dambazau et al 1996).

Cyber: Cyber is a prefix referring to anything related to computer or networking. The word as often used with a growing number of times to describe new things that are being made possible by the spread of computer. Cyber can be combined to make words such as social network crime, cyber-space and cyber-café.

Cyber crime: Refers to any criminal act dealing with computers and networks (called hacking). Additionally, cyber crime also includes traditional crimes conducted through the Internet.

Internet: Internet means international communication network. It is a communication network among computers. It is an interconnection of computers across globe.