EFFECT OF DIGITAL FORENSIC ON CRIME DETECTION IN NIGERIA

In the past years, digital forensics has become increasingly important in cases where electronic devices were used in the perpetration of a crime. This study examined the effect of Digital Forensics on crime detection in Nigeria. Specifically, the study centered on Computer forensic, Mobile forensic, and Network forensic as forms of Digital forensic and their effect on Crime detection were examined. The survey research design method was adopted for this study. The population of the study was 49 staff from three (3) law enforcement agencies. The instrument used to gather relevant data for the data was the questionnaire. Frequencies and percentages in cross-tabulations were used for describing the data. In testing the hypotheses for this study, Multiple Regression and ANOVA were adopted to examine the influence of the independent variables on the dependent variable. The findings showed that all forms of Digital forensic examined have significant effect on the detection of Crime. It was also noted from the result of the analysis that the rate of prosecution has increased since the adoption of digital forensic in Crime detection. It was established that relevant laws in Nigeria such as the Cyber Crime Act 2015, and Evidence Act 2011 enhanced the acceptance of digital evidence in a court of law. The study concluded that there is a significant effect of Computer forensic, Mobile forensic, and Network forensic on Crime detection in Nigeria. It was recommended that law enforcement agencies should continue to uphold the adoption of digital forensic in criminal investigation so as to further increase Crime detection in Nigeria.