Cybercafés in Nigeria: Curse to the Internet

Abstract

Cybercafés have grown in popularity since their emergence. This popularity is predicated on their capacity to offer relatively cheap, immediate and convenient access to the internet. Regrettably, cybercriminals, and even terrorists, have been exploiting them to perpetrate their unwholesome activities. This study evaluates the security posture of cybercafés in Nigeria. Using a combination of survey and observation, a total of ninety nine cybercafés, covering nine states, in five of the six geopolitical zones of the country, were covered. The findings suggest that most of the cybercafés have adequate capacity to prevent unauthorized access to their network, and the exploitation of the network to remotely perpetrate cybercrimes. However, within the physical confines of most of the internet cafes, cybercrimes are and could easily be carried out, and their networks exploited for other unethical uses of the internet. Security needs to be given more attention than it currently enjoys in the management of cybercafés by managers. On the other hand, government must ensure the regulation of the activities of the sector.