Emerging Trends in Cybercrime Awareness in Nigeria

Authors

Ogochukwu Favour Nzeakor, Michael Okpara University of AgricultureFollow
Bonaventure N. Nwokeoma, University of NigeriaFollow
Ibrahim Hassan, Niger State College of EducationFollow
Benjamin Okorie Ajah, University of NsukkaFollow
John T. Okpa, Universty of CalabarFollow

Abstract

The study examined the current trend in cybercrime awareness and the relationship such trend has with cybercrime vulnerability or victimization. Selecting a sample of 1104 Internet users from Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria, We found that: 1) awareness of information security was high in that about 2 in every 3 (68%) participants demonstrated a favorable awareness of information security and cybercrime. It was, however, revealed that such a high level of awareness could be partial and weak. 2) most Internet users demonstrated the awareness of fraud-related cybercrime categories (39%), e-theft (15%), hacking (12%), and ATM theft (10%). However, they were rarely aware of sexually related offenses, cyber-terrorism, malware attacks, spam emails, and identity theft as their proportion hovered around 8% and below. 3) Internet users significantly demonstrated more awareness of computer-assisted (M = 2.5; SD = 1.7) than that of computer-focused cybercrime categories (M = 2.2, SD = 1.3), t(1103) = 2.9, p=.000, r =.2. 4) Internet users significantly demonstrated more awareness of property cybercrime (M = 2.54; SD = 1.6) than that of violent cybercrime categories (M = 1.82, SD = 1.2), t(1103) = 5.94, p=.000, r =.3. 5) cybercrime awareness is positively correlated to cybercrime victimization experiences in that participants who demonstrated more awareness of cybercrime experienced significantly more cybercrime victimization (M = 1.66; SD = 1.7) than those who did not demonstrate awareness of cybercrime (M = .73, SD = 1.4), t(1103) = 7.55, p=.000, r =.52.

Note on the Author(s)

Dr. Ogochukwu Favour Nzeakor¹; Assoc. Prof. Bonaventure N. Nwokeoma²; Ibrahim Muhammad Hassan³; Dr. Benjamin Okorie Ajah⁴; & John Thomson Okpa⁵

¹Peace & Conflict Studies Unit, School of General Studies, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike. Abia State, Nigeria; ^2&4Department of Sociology & Anthropology, the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Nigeria, ³Department of Social Studies, School of Arts & Social Sciences, Niger State College of Education, Mina; & ⁵Department of Sociology, University of Calabar.

Recommended Citation

Nzeakor, O. F. , Nwokeoma, B. N. , Hassan, I. , Ajah, B. O. & Okpa, J. T. (2022). Emerging trends in cybercrime awareness in Nigeria . International Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence & Cybercrime, 5(3), 41-67 - . DOI: https://doi.org/10.52306/2578-3289.1098
Available at: https://vc.bridgew.edu/ijcic/vol5/iss3/4

Copyright © 2022 Ogochukwu Favour Nzeakor, Bonaventure N. Nwokeoma, Ibrahim Hassan, Benjamin Okorie Ajah, and John T. Okpa