Organized crime

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Organized crime in Nigeria

Nearly every citizen in Nigeria is a victim of organized crime. The only issue is that majority of them are not aware of the situation. Criminals perpetuate fear, and citizens pay a great price ranging from economic losses, deaths, pain, and political sabotage. The extent of organized crime in Nigeria is diverse, with criminals always intent on adapting to more profitable crimes and methods. The worst organized crime cartels recruit children into their divisions and are keen to bribe and coerce the police (Ellis & Shaw, 2015). The Nigeria police unit must adapt to the sophistication of the criminals. Technological advancement has seen several key players evolve with it. Consequently, strict laws and better enforcement tactics are essential to ensure that organized crime is eradicated if not reduced.

Nigerian criminal organizations gained prominence in the 1980s due to growing world globalization. Organized crime is relatively new in Nigeria than in developed countries like the USA. Nigerian politics at the time was characterized by political wrangles and selfish intents by the higher social class including the military force. Each of the criminal groups has a fluid hierarchical structure that makes it labile to adapt to changes in the environment (Ellis, 2016). Thus the system of governance is different from that in well-developed countries, which is more rigid. There are over 250 discrete ethnic groups in Nigeria along which the criminal groups are organized. This makes police work even harder since there is a tendency for the groups to cluster and trust each other along tribal lines.

Area boys or Agberos is a gang of street children who roam and steal from pedestrians, drivers, and passengers. Their main tactic is first to surround their prey before extorting them. The Agberos are also notorious for indulging in selling illegal drugs. Their activities are limited to big towns and cities and thus pose a minute threat. The Neo Black Movement of Africa is a much bigger threat since it is more organized and has international operations. Law enforcement officers have investigated a number of these groups’ personnel. The NBM was formed to revive, modifying, and preserving African culture but has so far deviated from their original goal. For example, reports show that the Black Axe cult group hides behind the NBM. NBM members have been found guilty of extortion, cybercrimes, 419 fraud, prostitution, passport falsification, human trafficking, and smuggling illegal drugs (Ebbe, 2012).

The criminal investigation units classify organized crime into three types namely, hierarchical, local or cultural model, and enterprise. A newer type is the network form, which is tightly linked to cybercrimes. The dominant category in Nigeria is hierarchical. Cultural and network types are also moderately prevalent in the country. The criminals focus on the drug trade, oil smuggling, trafficking of women for sexual activities, and economic sabotage. The Nigerian criminals engage with foreign-based companies to smuggle illegal goods into the countries through the use of devious means such bribery, coercion, threats, and psychological pressure (Ellis & Shaw, 2015).

The hierarchical system is loosely structured. Members operate on minimal trust among themselves. The network type tends to be business-oriented. The criminal network consists mostly of kinsmen who speak the same language. The level of trust is optimum between people of the same clan or tribe. The groups tend to be highly mobile to avoid arrest and in most situations use minimal violence to evade attracting the police. It was observed that the members often adopt aliases (Ebbe, 2012).

References

Ebbe, O. N. (2012). Organized crime in Nigeria. In Traditional Organized Crime in the Modern World (pp. 169-188). Springer, Boston, MA.

Ellis, S. (2016). This present darkness: A history of Nigerian organized crime. Oxford University Press, USA.

Ellis, S., & Shaw, M. (2015). Does organized crime exist in Africa?. African Affairs, 114(457), 505-528.

Paoli, L. (Ed.). (2014). The Oxford handbook of organized crime. Oxford Handbooks.