The Nigerian Criminal Model

When someone mentions ‘Organized Crime’ people usually get an image of an Al Capone style 1930’s gangster or a classic scene from the Godfather, or maybe even an image of a Russian prison or Yakuza tattoo. The common perception of transnational organized crime of a corporately managed hierarchal system of illicit deeds is progressively becoming too narrow and inaccurate for the modern world, and nowhere can this be better showcased than in Nigeria.

Nigeria Criminal Enterprise first rose to international recognition with its “419 Scam” and other internet financial scams in the early 1990’s, despite an origin a decade before with the economic collapse of Soviet Communism.  Since then a pervasive criminal industry of networks of financial scams, one of the largest heroin trades in the world, piracy and kidnappings within the Niger Delta, and human and arms trafficking have only increased, leading to U.S. department of Justice claims that "Nigerian criminal groups are more pervasive around the globe than those of any other nation."

What makes Nigeria such an effective base for transnational organized crime? While in many ways the factors that contributed to its creation, such as a complete economic dependence on oil that eliminated the countries ability to adapt in economic crisis and the political instability of the country have remained largely the same, many argue that the real problem in combating Nigerian Criminal Enterprise once it has started is a result of ethnic loyalty divisions and a distrust of the government created by Nigeria’s past.

While traditional mafia-style syndicate exist, they are usually considered simply an indication of corruption within the government, profiteering on the countries poorly written laundering and counterfeit laws. A vast majority are flexible small clan-family based groups that work together or individual free-lance criminals whom work for smaller profits and provide each other a form of political protection. Due to the ways their clans are organized they are near impossible to infiltrate by authorities.

While one could always argue that a better police force with more sources dedicated to fighting crime could help, at this point, it is unlikely to be the best prescription for the problem. In addition to improving the police force, simply identifying and tracking individuals and groups and improving government infrastructure so that the government has  a reliable means for data on its citizenry (Like pictures, descriptions, and birth and death dates). Additionally a re-examining of the judiciary system so that it can be used for implementing a state with a reliable and cohesive rule-of-law. Finally, improving infrastructure to diversify the economy away from oil would help fight poverty in the country giving more citizens a means for a legal income.

A decade ago journalist K. Maier characterized Nigeria as a “criminally mismanaged corporation where the bosses are armed and have barricaded themselves inside the company safe.” A decade later, it doesn’t seem as though all to much has changed, but at least a situation for reforms is plausible. Only time will tell if fights against Nigirian Organized Crime will symbolize a wave for reforming new criminal enterprise around the world, or if nigeria will only reform the way the world sees criminal enterprise.