Nigerian Criminal Networks; A comparative analysis.

Why is an African federation the home to one of the more dominating criminal networks operating globally? Nigeria is not well known for its high level of Internet-infrastructure. Still, it is in a class of its own when it comes to e-fraud or 419 spam mails. It is also prominent within the drug trade and the African-European trafficking network. By comparatively analysing other forms of Organized Crime against the Nigerian Brand, the thesis has tried to find the particulars of Nigerian Criminal Networks. The thesis found two particular indicators that stood out in the analysis: Social Networking and the 419 industry. Also, by looking at the level of integration between Nigerian politics and Criminal Networks and the argumentation used by agents within the Criminal Networks and the dynamics of the Nigerian E-fraud, this thesis argues that the same socio-cultural dynamics stemming from before the colonial period of the "great scramble" to present time, is the very same driving force behind Nigerian Criminal Networks today, forming an "Internet Economy of Affection". A general trend points in the direction that individuals growing up in the Nigerian federation seem to have a higher potential for social networking since their weak state gives them little protection in economic, welfare, security and educational spheres. They have to rely on the informal sector instead: the sphere of social networking. This may be one facet and first step toward the complex explanation how the dynamics of e-fraud, trafficking and drug-trade in Nigerian Criminal Networks, works at present