Abstract:

Nigeria has a population of over 200 million people and has 91 million active internet users, making it the most populous country in Africa. The country is multi-ethnic and culturally varied, with 47 percent of the population of West Africa (Internet World Stats, 2017; World Bank, 2017). For decades, the Nigerian police have been solely responsible for policing crime in the country (Nigerian Police Force, 2017); however, maintaining public security is one of the most difficult challenges the country faces, owing to an ineffective police force that has hampered the Nigerian government's ability to function optimally (Owen, 2014; Nwachukwu, 2012). This problem is further compounded with the coming of the internet and smartphones, which have made the internet more accessible and affordable even to criminals (Clough, 2010).