Cyber Crime in Nigeria—Reviewing the Problems

This chapter presents a scholarly review of the cybercrime challenge in Nigeria. The chapter starts with a historical background of cybercrime and progresses to the foundational concepts and definitions. This is followed by a review of the growing threat of cybercrime and the factors driving the surge in cybercrime statistics. This chapter also drills into the internet fraud challenge in Nigeria, and the various reforms made to effectively tackle the challenge. The reforms made cover institutional, structural, and legal dimensions. Specifically, the chapter presents various reforms such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), the Advanced Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, the Cybercrime (Prevention, Prohibition, etc.) Act 2015, the Evidence (Amendment) Act 2023, and others. The chapter also presented a review of available literature on technology and cybercrime investigation. The chapter ended by identifying and presenting the gaps in the literature reviewed.