Moral Disengagement and Cybercrime: A Critical Reflection on the Incentives Behind Cybercrime in Nigeria

The prevalence of cybercrime in Nigeria is frequently attributed to unemployment and economic hardship, with perpetrators often citing these factors as justification for their actions. This self-exonerating narrative facilitates moral disengagement and bad faith, as individuals dissociate from moral responsibility and attribute their conduct to external circumstances. Cybercriminals contend that their actions warrant less severe judgment because they are merely responding to external pressures. By employing an existentialist framework, this article examines how cybercriminals in Nigeria adopt false identities, deny personal agency, and shift blame to rationalize their illicit activities. The research critically analyzes the underlying incentives for cybercrime in Nigeria and addresses two primary research questions: How do Nigerian cybercriminals manifest the existentialist concepts of bad faith and moral disengagement? What is the relationship between moral laxity within Nigeria’s institutions and the prevalence of cybercrime? The findings indicate that moral laxity within the nation’s social, educational, religious, legal, and political institutions constitutes a principal cause of cyber threats. Accordingly, the article contends that effective mitigation of cybercrime necessitates a transition from exclusively legislative responses to a virtue ethics-based approach that emphasizes character development and moral responsibility.