For a period during the evolution of humans, the word ‘computer’ was attributed to individuals who were required to carry out the tasks for which we currently require computers. As time went on and humans developed not just in themselves but also in the field of science and technology, this led to the invention of a tool called the ‘laptop’ or mobile computer.
Computer Evolution
The Osborne 1, which is considered the very first truly mobile computer by most historians was invented in 1981 and since then the idea of a mobile computer has evolved vastly to include gadgets which we currently call mobile phones, tablets, iPad and various types of laptops which have been manufactured by famous brands such as Hewlett-Packard (popular known as HP), Dell, Toshiba, Apple just to name a few. It goes without saying, that the evolution of the ‘mobile computer’ has gone a long way since the invention of the Osborne 1.
The evolution of mobile computers or laptops as we popularly call them has resulted primarily based on the invention and introduction of the internet. January 1, 1983 is officially regarded as the birthday of the internet. The internet provided humans with an opportunity to connect and with the introduction of the internet came the availability of an array of jobs that required computers which made remote access particularly possible.
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Given that the internet and mobile computers have been around for over 40 years, it would be expected that mobile computers will be considered a useful tool that should be owned by everyone and utilized by all (especially with the recent pandemic, which has highlighted the severe need to work remotely from anywhere in the world). However, it is sad to find that such a tool, as useful as it may be, has resulted in the wrongful arrest of individuals and has in some horrific instances led to the death of several young people in Africa (with reference to Nigeria).
Rise of Internet and Crime in Nigeria
Nigeria has seen a rise in the utilization of the internet by its citizens in recent years, particularly in the younger age group of the population. In addition, there has been an unprecedented rise in the utilization of both mobile computers and the internet for crimes. Crimes such as love scams, money laundering etc. The rise of such crimes has led to the popularity of the so-called ‘yahoo-yahoo boys’ and Nigerian-born fraudsters in several parts of the world. The rise of fraudsters in Nigeria has been especially worse in recent times, due to the devastating effect of poor governance, rising costs of living, poor educational budgets, and many more factors which have contributed to Nigeria being a weakened economy.
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The rise of unemployment amongst the youths has equally favored the rise of the angry members of Nigerian society. This angry member has armed themselves with mobile computers as a tool utilised to fraud other individuals as a means of escaping the guaranteed low standard of living. As a result of these fraudulent activities, it is currently estimated that nations such as Nigeria, the United States of America, and several other nations have lost a whopping $4.1 billion in 2020 alone.
Fuelled by a determination to eradicate continued fraudulent acts, the governments of Nigeria and the United States of America have vowed to clamp down on the rising population of fraudsters who are either operating in Nigeria or those who have links to the Nigerian cybercrime space. As a show of such determination, recently, the Federal Bureau of investigation in collaboration with Interpol raided the apartment of the well-known Instagram influencer called ‘Hushpuppi’. Many such arrests have been made all around the world, especially in Nigeria.
Law Enforcement
The arrests of cybercriminals should be well appreciated, given that a significant amount of funds is lost by organizations and individuals who fall victim to such activities. However, in Nigeria, it is not entirely the case as innocent individuals are arrested simply because they were in possession of a mobile computer (i.e., a laptop or an Apple Phone) at the time of encountering s security officer or police. Several videos have surfaced online, highlighting the wrongful arrest of young individuals in Nigeria because they owned an Apple phone. I certainly believe that Steve Jobs (the inventor of the Apple iPhone) would have certainly never thought to himself that a day would come when a Nigerian citizen would be arrested in his/her own country because they owned a product he invented to serve as a tool to help humans connect with each other.
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More also, there have been cases where Nigerian citizens have been arrested for the possession of a laptop. In one such case, a young man was arrested for charging his laptop at a neighbour’s house and was remanded in prison for six years without any hearing. Six years of his life were lost because he owned a tool that was supposedly expected to make his life better. It most certainly goes without saying that there have been and may very well still be several unlawful arrests being made in Nigeria because young vibrant Nigerians own a tool that is expected to serve them and enable them to have a better life.
Most certainly, I acknowledge that there would not be such a significant rise in cybercrime in Nigeria if her citizens were not permitted to own a mobile device. However, the lack of such devices would only make the nation and its citizens disconnected from global affairs and the world entirely. So, what then is the right approach, you may ask. Members of the Nigerian police force should be educated on the relevance of mobile devices in this time and age (as many young Nigerian works remotely) and be educated on the due process established by the justice system, which demands that the court gives the police force a written order before a mobile device can be searched, seized, or destroyed. Without such court-written orders, no mobile device in Nigeria should be illegally tampered with.
I conclude by buttressing the fact that no man’s life should be wasted or lost over a device that was invented to be a tool that enables him or her to successfully carry out their everyday tasks and connect with the rest of the world. Say NO to police brutality in Nigeria and to the wrongful arrests of her young citizens.