Description
ABSTRACT
TheadventofmobileInformationandCommunicationTechnology(ICT)hasrecordedasteadygrowthrateoverthepastdecadebuthashowevergivenwayto something greater and a more alarming increase in the rateofinternetinsecurityandcybercrimeinNigeria.Itistherefore no wonder that crimes like mail scams, phishing,identity theft and privacy intrusion among others are on theincreaseinthecountry.Although, someeffortshavebeenmade currently to reduce the incidence of these cybercrimes using mobile forensics. This study covers theimpactofmobileinformationand communication technologies oncybercrimeinNigeriawhich relates to hushpuppy investigation. In this study, questionnaires were distributed to the staff of the EFCC for quick response. The gotten were used to determine the impact of mobile investigation on cybercrime of Hushpuppy.
Keywords:Cybercrime,Security,MobileDevices,Intelligent,Investigatory, Hushpuppy.
TABLE OF CONTENT
TITLE PAGE
CERTIFICATION
DEDICATION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
ABSTRACT
TABLE OF CONTENT
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT
1.3 AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
1.5 RESEARCH QUESTION
1.6 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
1.7 SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
1.8 DEFINITIONOFTERMS
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
- CYBERCRIMEGLOBALOVERVIEW
- CYBERCRIMEINNIGERIA
- POLICINGCYBERCRIMEINNIGERIA
- TYPESANDDIMENSIONOFCYBERCRIMES
- CAUSESANDEFFECTSOFCYBERCRIMEINNIGERIA
- GROWTHOFMOBILEICTINNIGERIA
- THECONTRIBUTIONOFMOBILEDEVICESTOCYBERINSECURITY
- CHALLENGESOFCYBERSECURITYPROVISIONINGINNIGERIA
- SUGGESTEDSOLUTIONTOCYBERCRIMEBYSTAKEHOLDERS
- CYBERCRIME IN SOCIAL MEDIA
- ECONOMICAND FINANCIALCRIMESCOMMISSION(EFCC)
- FUNCTIONSOFTHEEFCC
2.12.1 EFCCModeofOperation
- HUSHPUPPY AND HIS CRIME
CHAPTER THREE
METHODOLOGY
- RESEARCHDESIGN
- SOURCES OFDATA
- AREA OF THESTUDY
- POPULATION OF THESTUDY
- DATA COLLECTIONMETHODS FORRESEARCH
- DETERMINATION OF SAMPLE SIZE ANDTECHNIQUES
- RELIABILITY OF THE RESEARCHINSTRUMENT
- VALIDITY OF RESEARCHINSTRUMENT
- TECHNIQUES FOR PROCESSING COLLECTEDDATA
CHAPTER FOUR
- RESULT
- DISCUSSION
CHAPTER FIVE
- CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Mobile investigations which is also known asmobile forensics is the branch of digital forensics or forensic science dealing with data acquisition from mobile phones or similar electronic devices like tablets, personal digital Assistant (PDA) or handheld PC and GPS devices for investigation purposes.Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is a term that summarizes the role ofmobile communicationsnetworksandtheintegration oftelecommunications (telephone lines and wireless signals),computers and all its form of networks as well as necessaryenterprise software, middleware, storage, and audio-visualsystems, which enable users to access, store, transmit, andmanipulate information to meet day to day needs of thesociety.
A mobile device or mobile ICT basically describes asmall,handheldcomputingdevice,typicallyhavingadisplayscreenwithaminiaturekeyboardandpotableenoughforuserstocarrywithhandsorconvenientlykeptinapocket.Theyarealsolocationindependent.Inotherwordstheir functionality is not confined to a specific geographicallocation.Nokia,LG,MotorolaMobility,BlackBerry,Samsung, and Apple are just a few examples of the manymanufacturersproducingthesetypesofdevices.Ahandheld computing device has an operating system (OS),and can run various types of application software, mostlycalled apps. Most handheld devices are also equipped withwirelessfidelity(Wi-Fi),Bluetooth,andGeographicPositioning System (GPS) that can allow connections to theInternetandotherBluetoothenableddevicesalongwithastable battery power source. Mobile phones, Smartphonesand PDAs are popular examples of these mobile devices.(Wikipedia)
Cybercrimesontheotherhandcanbedefinedasoffencesthatarecommittedagainstindividualsorgroupsofindividuals with a criminal motive to intentionally harm thereputation of the victim or cause physical or mental harm tothe victim directly or indirectly, or deny someone of whatbelongstohim/her,usingmoderntelecommunicationnetworks such as Internet and mobile phones. Such crimesmaythreatenanation’ssecurityandfinancialstability.Cybercrime can simply be explained as crimes carried outwith the aid of a computer system against an individual,organizationoranation (Hassan et al., 2011).
The whole African continent is increasingly relying onnewinformationtechnologyandtheinternetwithnewmedia to conduct business, manage industrial activities, andengage in personal communication among other numerousbenefits connecting us to the developed world. While thesemobiletechnologiesanddevicesallowforenormousgaininefficiency,productivityandcommunication,theyalsocreate a vulnerability to those who wish to and thrive intakingadvantageofnewsituations.
The exponential growth of the internet and its globalacceptanceis generating increasing security threats. Thecyber space creates unlimited opportunities for commercial,social, and, educational activities as well as a haven forsocietalmiscreantstoperpetratetheirsinisteracts.Technologyisdevelopingbyleapsandboundstherebymakingtheinterneteasilyaccessiblethroughvariousmobiledevicesincludingsmartphones,tabletsamongothers. Even the smallest phone is now internet enabled andtherebysusceptibletointernetcrimeorcybercrime.
This article therefore looks into the growth of mobiledevices as well as the different cybercrime methods thathave threatened the basic benefits of our ICT age.TheapproachusedwastoreviewrelatedliteraturesoncybercrimeinNigeria,analyzetheimpactofthetremendous increase in mobile ICT on cybercrime, proposean intelligent cybercrime investigatory system frameworkandsuggestvariouswayscybercrimecanbecontrolled.
1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT
Undeniably, the policing of crime using the traditional Nigerian police have many limitations, and the integrity of the Nigerian police force has been eroded by its failure toperform its constitutional responsibilities to the society (Nwachukwu, 2012).Due to that,cybercrime hashada negative impacttotheeconomy andreputationof thecountry asahavenofcriminals.Ribadu(2007)arguedthat,cybercrimetransactionworth£300million, €200 million, and $500 million were stopped between 2003 and 2007, and recently it costNigerian consumers approximately $13.5 billion dollars in 2012 (Sesan et al., 2013). The problem of cybercrime in Nigeria is further compounded by theincreased usage of the internet for fraudulent activities and the lack of cyberuser awareness, which makes internet users vulnerable to be exploited by criminals online(Kortjan et al.,2014).Eventhough,theNigeriangovernmenthavedevelopedappropriate legal and institutional frameworks in securing the Nigerian cyberspace (Adomi et al., 2008), policing the cyberspace would require governments and legal systems tocontinuously adapt to new technologies and strategies in tackling cybercrime (Grabosky,2001).Currently,thereisaneedfortheNigeriangovernmenttoworktogetherinstrengthening the legal frameworks for cyber security, and also enforcing existing laws inorder to reduce the impact of cybercrime in the society (Olusola et al., 2013).
1.3 AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The main of this work is to study the impact of mobile investigation on cybercrimes in Nigeria using EFCC investigation on hushpuppy cybercrime. The objectives of the study are:
- To ascertain the usefulness of mobile devices (ICT) in investigating cyber crime
- To determine the extent at which Crime Tracking Information System has been used in detecting crime in Nigeria.
- To determine the extent by which mobile investigation has been used in carrying out hushpuppy cybercrime case.
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
Mobile investigation helps in identifying potential suspects to increase investigators suspect base when no leads are evident. (Aquinas, 2012) The ability to access and process information quickly while displaying it in a spatial and visual medium allows agencies to allocate resources quickly and more effectively. In the ‘mission-critical’ nature of law enforcement, information about the location of a crime, incident, suspect, or victim is often crucial to determine the manner and size of the response.
1.5 RESEARCH QUESTION
A number of research questions were developed based on the aim and objectives above andthe literature review. The research questions are as follow:
- What are the causes of cyber security in Nigeria?
- AreLawEnforcementAgenciesinNigeriacapableguardiansintacklingcybercrime?
- Towhatextentarethe currentlawsadequateininvestigatingcybercrimein Nigeria using mobile investigation techniques?
- Howarethedifferentdefinitionsofcybercrimeappropriateinunderstandingcybercrimein Nigeria?
- WhatimprovementsareneededintheEFCCintacklingcybercrimein Nigeria?
1.6 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
Hi: There is a significant relationship between the introduction of information technology and the efficiency EFCC investigation in Nigeria.
H0: There is no significant relationship between the introduction of information technology and the efficiency EFCC investigation in Nigeria.
1.7 SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
Theresearch focuses on the activities of the activities EFCC in relation to other key stakeholdersin the investigation of cybercrime. Embracing a classical criminological view of RoutineActivity Theory (RAT), the research examined Advance Fee Fraud, a variant of cybercrime,in understanding the challenges and recommendations needed in the multi-national efforts totacklecybercrime. Therefore, the scope of the research is limited to activities of EFCC investigating cyber-enabled crimes in Nigeria, a case study of Hushpuppy.
1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS
These terms were used throughout the research study and a detailed definition is providedbelow:
Cybercrime
Cybercrime is defined as the use of electronic devices or computers via information systemsto facilitate illegal activities (McQuade 2006, p. 2). The Association of Chief of PoliceOrganisation(2009)definescybercrimeas“theuseofnetworkedcomputersorinternettechnologytocommit orfacilitate thecommissionof crime” (ACPO2009).
Cyber-EnabledCrime
Cyber-enabled crimes are ‘traditionalcrimes, which can be increased intheir scale orreachby the use of computers, computer networks or other form of ICT’. Two published forms ofcyber-enabled crimerelateto fraudand theft (McGuire et al.,2013b)
AdvanceFee Fraud
Advance Fee Fraud or ‘419’ fraud; a name coined from a section of the Nigerian CriminalCode is a prevalent crime within the West African organised criminal networks. There aremany variations of the scheme and scams which is designed to persuade recipients/victims topart with their money (Stevens 2006).
LawEnforcementAgency
Lawenforcementagency(LEA)isagovernmentagencythatisresponsiblefortheenforcementofthelaws.Thepowersexercisedbylawenforcementagenciesinclude;exemption from laws, arrest and prosecution, legal deception, use of force and constraint ofliberty,andjurisdictionoverrideamongstothers(OxfordDictionary, 2016).
