FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGY AS A SOLUTION TO NIGERIA'S SECURITY CHALLENGES IN NIGERIA

The study examined the financial technology as a solution to Nigeria’s security challenges with particular to kidnapping in Northern Nigeria. The specific objectives are to: identify the financial technology used in preventing crime; ascertain the level of usage of financial technologies in preventing crime, and examine the impact of financial technologies (GPS, SIM registration, CCTV, NIN, BVN) in preventing crimes in Nigeria. This study adopted the descriptive survey research design. The population of this study consisted of people of Adamawa State irrespective of tribe or religion, gender, or race. For large population (indefinite population), Cochran equation was used to arrive at the sample size of 246 which was achieved through convenience sampling technique. The instrument for data collection used was a questionnaire. The instrument was constructed by the researcher. The data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics. The mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions. The study identified several financial technologies actively used in preventing crimes in Nigeria. The study revealed that financial technologies such as GPS tracking, SIM registration, CCTV, NIN, and BVN have had a significant impact on reducing criminal activities in Nigeria. The study further revealed the varying levels of financial technology usage in preventing crimes in Nigeria. The study concluded that with the adoption of the mentioned ICT applications, a significant surveillance can be yield where a lot of activities can be monitored and controlled. The study recommended that the Nigerian government should invest in improving technological infrastructure, especially in rural areas, to enable broader adoption of financial technologies. Stronger enforcement of mandatory SIM registration, BVN, and NIN policies is necessary to close gaps that criminals may exploit.