Nama : Desi Anggraini

NIM : 2010241717
Mata Kuliah : Forensic Accounting and Investigative Audit

Promotion of Computer Forensics Education in Nigeria:

Implications for National Security

Abstract
The rapid evolution and development of computers and other digital devices has
orchestrated a geometric increase in the severity and rate of cybercrimes committed the
world over, Nigeria inclusive. The only way to combat cybercrime is to train competent
computer forensics professionals who will investigate and help prosecute these
cybercrimes and cybercriminals as well. It was deduced from the research that there is no
tertiary institution offering computer forensics education at any level in Nigeria, creating
scarcity of computer forensics professionals. Finally the paper recommends immediate
attention to be geared towards introduction and promotion of computer forensics
education in Nigeria in other to foster national cyber security.

INTRODUCTION
With the enactment of the evidence Act of 2011, and Cybercrime Acts of 2015 by the
government of the federal republic of Nigeria, it now becomes imperative that computer
forensics professionals be trained in other to protect the National Cyberspace from
National cyber security threats such as malicious hacking, cybercrime, cyber terrorism,
espionage and cyber scam just to mention but a few.

COMPUTER FORENSICS: AN OVERVIEW

The concept of computer forensics is constant and consists of four basic steps which
include:
1. Preparation: Preparation includes understanding local laws, legal issues and
determination of tools and procedures to employ in carrying out computer
forensics tasks.
 2. Collection: This involves on-site acquisition of digital evidence by making
binding copy of hard drives and learning the unusual or evidence collection and
taking the collected evidence to the laboratory where evidence acquisition are
made.
3. Examination and Analysis: This is a key area of computer forensics and involves
examination of data, internet artefacts, temporary files, spool files, shortcuts,
keywords search and dealing with encryption.
4. Reporting: This involves court expert report being made according to valid
templates. The reports are written the way the judges and prosecutors understands
it.

USES OF COMPUTER FORENSICS

The uses of computer forensics include the following:
– Detecting a cybercrime.
– Solving an alleged criminal activity provided the medium used in perpetrating the
crime is a digital device.
– Forestalling a crime from taking place.
– Computer forensics investigations are often used to refute or support a supposition
during civil, criminal and corporate litigations.
– Computer forensics is used in the private sector by companies who are undergoing
internal investigations into unauthorized technical and network transgressions.

The Areas of specialization in a computer forensics investigation include:

– Computer forensics.
– Network forensics.
– Database forensics.
– Mobile forensics.

THE ROLE OF COMPUTER FORENSICS IN NATIONAL SECURITY

According to Kessler (2005), nearly everything that someone does on a computer or a
network leaves a trace. Server logs provide information about every computer system
accessing a website. The internet is totally changing crime investigations due to its
dynamic nature. It now becomes imperative that the Computer Forensics Investigator
wades in and identifies the missing link in such a cybercrime. Computers yield evidence
of a wide range of criminal and unlawful actions. Criminals engaged in network-based
crimes, are not the only ones that store information on computers. The job of the
Computer Forensics Investigator hence is to identify, extract, analyse and report these
digital evidences hidden in these computers. Computer forensics plays a key and
important role in ensuring rational security as it is fundamental and important to the law
enforcement agencies for a number of reasons which include. A basic level understanding
of computer forensics is very essential and a vital knowledge area for all law enforcement
officers.

COMPUTER FORENSICS WORKFORCE

These positions to be filled by computer forensics professionals include the following:
– Computer forensic technician: Persons in the cadre are to be trained to exercise
the technical aspects of gathering evidence. They must have sufficient skills to
gather information from computers networks and other digital devices. Training
of the computer forensics technician should be carried out by polytechnics.
– Computer forensic policy maker: At the other end of the computer forensics
spectrum is the computer forensics policy maker. The policy maker should be
trained to be a manager and administrator who establishes polices that reflect the
broad considerations of the enterprise.
– Computer forensics researcher: While computer forensics is not fully recognized
as an independent discipline, it has clearly surpassed the development status it
enjoyed in the early internet years, hence has become the topic of applied research
appearing in conferences and workshops. There is a clear demand for researchers
in this field.
– Computer forensics educators: There is need for training computer forensics
educators, whose mandate it will be to teaching the art and science of computer
forensics at the foundation, basic and secondary levels of education. These
Educators would be trained in Colleges of Education.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The specific objectives include:
– To determine the state of computer forensics education in Nigeria.
– To identify how important promotion of computer forensics education is to
National security in Nigeria.
– To determine the benefits of promoting computer forensics education in Nigeria on
National Security.

METHODOLOGY
Two methods in the study:
– Archival research and content analysis: This methodology was employed and was
used to study the Joint Admission and Matriculations Board Brochure (JAMB) for
the 2016/2017 year.
– Descriptive survey: Descriptive survey was carried out in other to sample the
opinion of stake holders on the importance and effects of computer forensics
education to National Security in Nigeria.

POPULATION
The population of study comprised of law enforcement, judiciary workers and lecturers
in Owerri Municipal Area Council of Imo State, Nigeria.

DATA COLLECTION
– Primary data collected using structured questionnaire and Interview of
respondents
– Secondary data were collected from review of archival data (JAMB
BROCHURE), Text books, journals, and review of related literature.

METHOD OF DATA ANALYSIS

Data from questionnaire responses were analysed using frequency distribution tables and
percentages.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Results a study of all the courses listed by JAMB as submitted by all tertiary institutes,
none of the institutions have computer forensics program running at any level. This
implies that computer forensics education is yet to commence at all levels of tertiary
education in the country. However, further research showed that the only body that
undertakes training and certification of computer forensics professionals in Nigeria is the
computer forensics institute of Nigeria, which is a professional certification and
regulatory body saddled with developing digital and computer forensics experts. The
institute alone cannot train the required manpower needed to propel and position the
computer forensics profession in Nigeria.

CONCLUSION
The proliferation of criminal activities on the internet and on other digital devices like
identity theft, spamming, cyber terrorism, economic frauds etc. computer forensics will
continually increase the demand for computer forensics investigators in line with law
enforcement and national security. Computer forensics investigators work with changing
technologies, and are expected to learn the most recent versions, tools and processes in
fraud and crime detection. Hence their education in very paramount and should be kept
dynamic amidst rapidly evolving technologies.