SOCIOECONOMIC PREDICTORS OF CYBERCRIME AMONG NIGERIAN YOUTHS IN IBADAN METROPOLIS

Abstract

The Nigerian society today is bedeviled by cybercrimes known in the local parlance as Yahoo Yahoo. Many people are losing their hard-earned fortune to this menace while the country is continually facing image damage in the comity of nations. It is necessary therefore to examine the causes of cybercrimes among Nigerian youths in order to proffer solutions.  This study is an investigation into some socioeconomic predictors of cybercrimes among Nigerian youths in Ibadan Metropolis. Descriptive research design of survey type was adopted. Participants were one hundred and fifty youths within the age range of 18-35 selected through convenience sampling. Four hypotheses guided the study. Socioeconomic Predictors of Cybercrime Questionnaire (SOPOC-Q) designed and validated by the researcher was used to collect data for the study. Data collected were subjected to analysis using frequency count, percentage and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results shows that internet [F(_1,148)=9.617; p<.002] is the most significant contributor to cybercrime followed by peer influence [F(_1,148)=1.768; p<.186] and unemployment [F(_1,148)=1.829; p<.176] were significant contributors to cybercrime among the participants while economic hardship [F(_1,148)=.66; p<.79]) was not significant. Stringent measures to curtail the activities of internet fraudsters, early orientation of children on the need to avoid bad and wayward peers and the need for government and non-governmental organization to provide jobs for unemployed individuals were recommended.

Keywords: Cybercrime, Nigerian youths, socioeconomic predictors, yahoo-yahoo.

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