An Empirical Analysis of Youth and Cybercrime in Benin Metropolis, Edo State Nigeria

This study analyses the phenomenon of youth and cybercrime in Benin metropolis. The study sought to examine the various cybercrime committed by youths in Benin metropolis; find out the effect of access to internet technology on cybercrime among youths in Benin metropolis, and examine the control measures of cybercrime among youths in Benin metropolis. The study adopted the routine activity theory to serve as the basis of the research. A cross-sectional research design was adopted for the study. A sample size of 500 respondents was determined and drawn using Taro Yamane sample size determination formula. Multistage sampling technique was employed to select the targeted respondents. The findings of the study revealed that romance and dating scam are the most common forms of cybercrime among youths in Benin Metropolis. The findings further revealed that corruption, bribery, and information leaks within some law enforcement agencies undermine cybercrime control effort by providing protections and advance warning to cybercriminal syndicates. The study concluded that addressing cybercrime effectively will require more than punitive measure and law enforcement actions; it will necessitate deliberate effort to tackle the root cause of cybercrime. The study therefore recommends, among others measures, that effort should be made to encourage youths who possesses digital literary and internet access to channel this skills into legitimate online ventures and strict monitoring mechanism should be introduced to ensure accountability among law enforcement personnel and officers found engaging in bribery, collusion or leaking operational information should face appropriate disciplinary and legal sanctions.