Nigerian piracy: Articulating business models using crime script analysis

Abstract

A violent manifestation producing many harms, Nigerian piracy has spread throughout the Gulf of Guinea. Exploring an understudied criminological phenomenon, this article draws on crime script analysis to articulate detailed business models for each of the three primary types of piracy identified in the waters of Nigeria (robberies, kidnappings for ransom and ship/cargo seizures) as well as attempted boardings/unspecified attacks. To do so, this research employed a content analysis of more than 400 piracy incident reports compiled from multiple data sources and supplemented by insights from existing research and semi-structured interviews with piracy experts. This study contributes to a more in-depth and nuanced understanding of Nigerian piracy and further tests the utility of crime script analysis to investigate atypical acquisitive crimes and non-traditional security threats. More importantly, the formulation of the business models is the first step in conducting a systematic assessment of the harms of Nigerian piracy, the necessary foundation for completing a full policy analysis.