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Vigilantism And Crime Control In Contemporary Nigeria
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The
proliferation of vigilante groups in contemporary Nigeria particularly
in Udenu Local Government area of Enugu State is a response to crimes
and criminality that have not only increased in degree, scope and volume
but also have witnessed an unprecedented change in techniques, mode of
operation and sophistication between 1998 and 1999 (wake of fourth
republic) and the apparent failure of the Nigeria police to rise up to
the occasion. Igbo (2001:219) has stated that “the apparent failure of
Nigeria police to control the increasing wave of crime has led to
unilateral public action against crime and criminals in some major
cities of Nigeria particularly in the South east of the countryâ€.
This
is true in Udenu Local Government Area, where, presently, vigilante
groups are used as a means of crime control due to increasing crime wave
and the inability of the formal agents of crime control to bring them
under control. In view of this, this study examined the contributions of
vigilante groups in controlling crime in contemporary Nigeria,
particularly in Udenu Local Government area of Enugu State.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
In
recent years, many communities in Nigeria have witnessed crimes of
various descriptions. Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State is not
an exception. Thus, crime is becoming a serious problem in contemporary
Nigeria. The police who are the primary agent in the fight against crime
are ineffective. Their ineffectiveness may be as a result of the fact
that they are under-staffed, under-equipped, corrupt and lacked public
cooperation. These have created problem of under policing in Nigeria
including Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State. Thus, violent and
property crimes are committed on daily basis without detection and
prosecution. Many people are being dispossessed of their valuable
property and others are killed or maimed for life by armed bandits. Many
people hardly sleep in their houses at night for fear of criminal
victimization. Those who sleep in their houses at Night do so at their
own peril. Consequently, Udenu Local Government Area has of recent been
gripped by insecurity and lawlessness as armed robbery and other violent
crimes reached unprecedented levels.
Hence, this situation of
insecurity and lawlessness began to affect more than just the population
of Udenu Local Government Area as traders from the neighbouring
communities who come to Udenu to transact business in Obollo-Afor and
Orie Orba, began to stay away from these towns out of fear. As a result,
business and other social activities were paralyzed.
A local
newspaper (Starlite) report captioned “Girl, 18 killed at Obollo-Afor
described how Miss Ifeyinwa Ugwueje was gruesomely murdered in Oba Guest
inn on Wednesday 18 November, 2006. The same newspaper reported that
“at Orba in Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State, the spirit of
communalism, oneness, good rapport as well as peaceful co-existence seem
to have eluded the people for some time following the rampant killings
everywhere including the brutal murder of shinkaffi who was said to be a
famous and powerful youth leader. (The Starlite, 2006:5 and 13).
The
increase in crime wave and the inability of the Nigeria police to deal
with the situation effectively have given rise to the emergence of
vigilante groups in its current form. These vigilante groups are to
ensure the safety of both their lives and property and that of their
families. Eke, (2002) noted that “from time immemorial, ordinary men and
women have made several sacrifices to ensure the safety of both their
lives and that of their families. That human impulse is not only common
in Nigeria. Government in Western Europe, in Africa, and else where was
originally set up to offer protection to their subjectsâ€.
Thus
vigilantism seems to be gaining more prominence as agent of crime
control in Udenu Local Government Area. Several vigilante groups now
operate in both rural and urban areas in Nigeria. Residents see
vigilante groups as an outfit they can always rely on in terms of
security. Put differently, the public is skeptical about the ability of
Nigeria Police to provide adequate security services alone without the
involvement of the public.
This study, therefore, aimed at finding out the impact of vigilante groups on crime control in Udenu L.G. A of Enugu state.
1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1. What is the rate of crime in Udenu L.G.A ?
2. To what extent does crime constitute a social problem in Udenu L.G.A ?
3. To what extent has vigilantism helped in controlling crime in Udenu L.G.A ?
4. To what extent have police controlled crime in Udenu L.G.A. ?
5. What is the relationship between the police and vigilante groups in Udenu L.G.A. ?
6. what is the community perception of vigilante groups in Udenu L.G.A. ?
7. What is the relationship between the police and the public in Udenu L.G.A. ?
CHAPTER ONE -- [Total Page(s) 3]
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]The inability of the Nigerian Police to control the increasing wave of crime has led to proliferation of vigilante groups in contemporary Nigeria.This study was initiated to investigate the impact of vigilante groups on crime control in contemporary Nigeria, particularly in Udenu L.G.A of Enugu State. Seven hundred and twenty (720) respondents were sampled from Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State. Multi-stage, cluster and simple random sampling methods were used as the sampling techniques ... Continue reading---
