…2nd in Africa, DRC is highest in Africa
According to a 2023 Global Organised Crime Index, Nigeria is ranked sixth in the world for organised crime.
The report indicated that Nigeria continues to face a series of security challenges, corruption, and other criminal activities. In 2021, the last time the report was released, Nigeria was ranked fifth with a score of 7.14 points
According to the survey conducted by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime titled “Global Organised Crime Index- A fractured World”, which was released on Wednesday, the status of organised criminality in Nigeria increased by 0.13 points.
Nigeria scored 7.28 out of 10 points, making it the sixth in the world and the second highest in Africa behind the Democratic Republic of Congo (7.35) and ahead of South Africa (7.18).
Myanmar has the highest criminality score (8.15), followed by Colombia (7.75) and Mexico (7.57).
The report noted that “levels of criminality are increasing worldwide while resilience measures are falling short of meeting the threat.”
In the criminal actors category, Nigeria has 7.20 points with an increase of 0.5, while it scored 8.50 points in the criminal network score.
The survey also shows an increase in the number of foreign criminal actors active in the country as its score increased by 0.50 in that category.
The country also scored 5.50 points for the presence of mafia-style groups, 7.00 points for private-sector actors, and 7.50 points for state-embedded actors.
“For the Global Organised Crime Index, organised crime is defined as illegal activities conducted by groups or networks acting in concert, by engaging in violence, corruption, or related activities to obtain, directly or indirectly, a financial or material benefit. Such activities may be carried out both within a country and transnationally.”
Most common crimes globally
The report noted that financial crime has become the most pervasive criminal activity in the world toppling human trafficking. Although there has been a rise in human trafficking activity since 2020.
After the financial crime, human trafficking, cannabis trade and arms trade made the top four criminal activities globally.
The report stated, “In fact, financial crime ranked among the three most pervasive criminal markets in every continent besides the Americas, where it is one of the five most prominent.
After financial crimes and human trafficking (5.82), the cannabis trade (5.34) and arms trafficking (5.21) were identified as the third and fourth most prevalent markets globally.”
Crime in Nigeria
The Nigerian government has been battling diverse forms of criminal activities across the country in recent times. Kidnapping in the northwest and northeast, oil theft in the Niger Delta, rising proliferation of drug abuse and trade, violent successionist movement in the South-East etc.
Last week, students at a federal university in Zamfara were kidnapped by armed men although multiple reports state they have been rescued.
Down south, the recurring spate of crude oil theft has not only destroyed the environment in the Niger Delta but prevented the country from meeting its OPEC production quota thereby denying her valuable revenue as crude oil prices near $100.
