Given the current economic situation in the country,  we are unfortunately witnessing the rise of some trending crimes in Nigeria. Security issues that used to seem farfetched are now becoming common threats in the country. Have there ever been days where security issues are not reported in the Nigerian dailies or even on television stations? Aside from Sports newspapers, most of the newspaper publishers have a section on its daily publication dedicated to reporting security matters. A standard newspaper in Nigeria is not complete without this section.

This section is very important because they provide us with an update on the state of security in the country. No part of Nigeria is alien to this challenge. We all need to brace up and make security our business. We have taken time out to ask Nigerians the trending crimes in Nigeria that have become the crocks of the matter in our day-to-day life. The fourth example will amaze you, have a good read.

EVERYDAY SECURITY: 5 Trending Crimes In Nigeria And How To Respond

1. KIDNAPPING

Kidnapping is one of the trending crimes in Nigeria threatening the young, old, educated, and non-educated alike. Aside from the emotional trauma the family of the victim goes through, business activity around the place where the incident occurred would naturally be low because of fear of a reprisal attack.

Many times these kidnappers would go on to ask for some kind of ransom before the victim can be released. Good enough the Police and Army have been able to aid the successful rescue of some victims.

However, like every other crime, these could be prevented, so ensure that you don’t walk on a lonely path/street. While driving, ensure you are not trailed by another car, if you notice a car have been on your trail for a while, try to drive to a police post and report. Better to worry than to be sorry!

2. ONLINE FRAUD

The issue of online fraudsters is also one of the trending crimes in Nigeria and a very controversial one at that. Nearly 90% of the Nigerians we spoke to mentioned online fraud as a common issue at tables of discussions.

They tell stories of how someone was duped and left with nothing after discovering they have been duped. As you know there are internet fraudsters in Nigeria too, popularly called ‘yahoo boyz’. Though most of the victims are foreigners, Nigerians have also been victims.

How can you respond to this trending crime in Nigeria? Ensure you don’t share vital and confidential information with ‘get rich quick’ evangelists. Before going into a business arrangement ensure your lawyer are involved, fraudsters don’t like lawyers and agreement document. Or contact security experts for help with risk and security assessment.

3. THEFT IN MALLS

Nigeria have over the recent years witnessed a growing trend of mega shopping malls in major cities like Lagos, Abuja, Benin, Port Harcout, Enugu, etc. These shopping mall trends have unfortunately ushered in one of the trending crimes in Nigeria – theft in malls.

Stealing in Malls has been the reason why a vast majority of Malls now have the surveillance camera installed. Many store managers have lamented against the high incidence of theft on their shelves. Recordings of surveillance are sometimes compromised hence making it difficult to apprehend perpetrators.

Some of the store managers have also confessed that they don’t have enough and qualified personnel to monitor the surveillance live feeds and backups. Store managers who have security guards have nothing but good testimonies of how they nabbed the criminal before leaving with the stolen item because their security team was able to respond swiftly.

4. BANK FRAUD/ROBBERY

Bank robbery occurs on a few occasions but when it happens, it’s usually not a moment to savour. The activities of armed robbers in the bank also feature on our list of trending crimes in Nigeria.

Banks today are not frequently attacked partly due to the good security presence we now have in Nigerian banks. The Banks now have trained security personnel stationed in strategic parts of the premises (indoor and outdoor) of the bank itself. These security guards also have the full complement of the surveillance cameras to monitor and store the live-feeds. This step has helped to reduce drastically the rate of robbery.

On the other side, bank charges are also a kind of theft we noticed from the comments we got while doing our research, customers should ensure their bank statement are verified by qualified auditors once or twice a year.  This will highlight any fraudulent bank charges that has been unlawfully deducted from their accounts.

5. ASSASSINATION

This is a rather unfortunate security issue, but “these also stare at our faces” – a young man said. Where killers have been apprehended, they confess to killing because of power, money and envy.

In other to curb assassination, aggrieved parties should seek amicable means to resolve issues and the access to arms should be controlled as much as possible. Report unresolved issues to the Police, as they have counsellors who have been trained in dispute resolutions.

SUMMARY

There are more security issues out there relating to the trending crimes in Nigeria, but we have shared a few with you and possible solutions. We listed the following issues as the discussed by a Nigerian community; Kidnapping, assassination, robbery, online fraud and shopping mall theft.

Feel free to share other issues with us, we like to know the security issue discussed in your neighbourhood, sure other readers are looking forward to your comments.