USE OF ICT IN CRIME DETECTION AND SCHOOL SECURITY IN NIGERIA UNIVERSITIES
ABSTRACT
The prevalence of crime in higher institutions in Nigeria has been on the increase in recent years, this has not only become a concern to the government, but to the university authorities and members of the society. The menace consequently, is crippling the entire educational goals as insecurity, which is a product of crime, disrupts the curriculum. It is quite obvious that crimes like stealing, rape, cultism, examination malpractice, murder and many more has come to stay on campus. This study focuses on the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in crime detection and safety in Nigeria Universities. It reveals ways of implementing ICT facilities to curb these heinous crimes that intercept our educational goals. The study made use of cross sectional survey with validated structured questionnaire as method of data collection from two selected universities in Enugu state (Godfrey Okoye University, and the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus). In the analysis, mean table was used to present result while frequency table and simple percentage were used to analyze each questionnaire item. The findings revealed major challenges and solutions to the use of ICT facilities for crime detection in Nigeria universities. The challenges includes unavailability of sufficient ICT facilities like metal detectors, biometric finger print identity system, electronic detectors, bomb detectors, car trackers, faraday cage, phone signal jammers and so on; lack of student awareness and usage available tools; poor functionality of available facilities; lack of implementation of newer technologies; poor perception of student on the use of some ICT tools for crime detection, etc.. Findings from the research suggests that as a matter of urgency, the government, university authorities and stakeholders in education should collaborate to make necessary ICT tools available in schools to ensure school safety. Proper orientation to freshers could also curb awareness challenge. It is hoped that the findings in this research work would help in curbing the problems of crime in our tertiary institutions. The study would also help to stimulate further research in this area of study.