An Original Theoretical Framework for Cyber Diplomacy and International Cooperation on Cybercrime in Nigeria

Nigeria's position as both a major cybercrime source country and victim country creates complex diplomatic challenges in international cybercrime cooperation that existing international relations and cybersecurity frameworks inadequately theorise. This study developed an original theoretical framework for cyber diplomacy and international cybercrime cooperation from Nigeria's perspective. A constructive theoretical methodology was employed: systematic review of cyber diplomacy literature (63 publications from 2018 to 2024), analysis of Nigeria's bilateral and multilateral cybercrime cooperation arrangements through documentary analysis and interviews with 20 officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, EFCC international cooperation unit, and NITDA international relations office, and expert validation. The analysis confirmed significant theoretical gaps: existing frameworks treat cybercrime cooperation through a Westphalian sovereignty lens inadequate for the non-territorial nature of cybercrime, inadequately theorise the reputational asymmetry of cybercrime source countries, and do not account for the domestic political economy of extradition cooperation decisions. The original Nigerian Cyber Diplomacy Framework proposes four cooperation modes: peer bilateral cooperation, asymmetric technical assistance, multilateral norm-setting engagement, and narrative repositioning diplomacy. A key original theoretical contribution is the Reputation-Cooperation Trade-off Model, explaining how Nigeria's cybercrime reputation creates short-term cooperation incentives that require managing against long-term sovereignty and economic interests. Expert review by 15 international relations and cyber diplomacy specialists confirmed the framework's theoretical originality.

Keywords: cyber diplomacy, international cooperation, cybercrime, Nigeria, theoretical framework