Nigeria is a country that dominates the West African region due to its large population (125 million) and the importance of its mineral and oil resources (the sixth largest oil producer in the world). Political instability, poverty and endemic corruption force many native people to leave their places of origin to the European Union countries in search of a better life. The permanent ethnic clashes in Nigeria often results in hundreds of deaths. Coups occurring in Liberia, Sierra Leone are signs of political instability that exists in West Africa.
Despite poverty, education is very important in this region because it is recognized as a way to improve (a term widely used in Nigeria) and to create wealth, recognized as a determinant of social status. Although most people are very religious, their beliefs do not conflict with the economic gains made by dubious ways, are often engaged in people prayers for the success.
A widespread phenomenon in Nigeria is the existence of a trade based on child slavery, under which Nigerian children are sent to bordering countries. According to reports from the Nigerian Association Women Trafficking and Child Labor Eradication Foundation (WOTCLEF), Nigerian children are taken into slavery in Gabon. According to UNICEF, every year 200,000 children from the West and Central Africa falls into the networks of child trafficking and child slavery. Some poor families sell their child for only 5 Euros. This is considered by them as part of their culture.To combat this phenomenon is necessary to carry out a permanent control and deterrence.
From the nineties, criminal networks have shown on the African continent the preference to choose South Africa as a base for their criminal activity, due to a high level of infrastructure development and communication in comparison with other African countries. This preference has affected South Africa itself, increasing criminal activities, particularly in areas like drug trafficking, prostitution, violence and fraud. The presence of groups involved in drug trafficking has contributed to increased imports of synthetic drugs.
Extensive research from public sources has shown that the preponderant role of the West African criminal networks of organized crime in South Africa is a serious threat to the European Union in particular. These organizations are present in almost all major areas of crime carrying out activities such as drug smuggling. These networks remain in a discreet background in the field of transnational crimes like drug trafficking, while collecting the profits with them, improve their operations and expand their activities.
The most common criminal actions in Africa are:
• Attacks on the population, destroying entire villages and leaving people in hopeless poverty.
• Killing innocents with car bombs in cities.
• Kidnapping soldiers, police, politicians, civilians, children and the elderly people.
• Destroying electricity equipment and communication systems.
• Destroying bridges on the roads and burning vehicles.
• Exploiting oil, petrol and gas pipelines.
• Extortion to traders, farmers and citizens.
• They place minefields in highways, roads and sidewalks.
• They use drug trafficking as its major financial support.