CHAPTER ONE
- BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Crime is a social canker-worm that has eaten deep into the social fabric of the Nigerian society such that its effect is multifaceted (Chinwokwu, 2013). Although Durkheim (2007) opines that crime is inevitable and normal aspect of social life, it is an integral part of all healthy societies. Haralambos & Holborn (2008) state that the functionality of crime in a society, such as ours, has to be viewed seriously because of the social and psychological problems it has caused many victims. In fact, no matter the functionality of crime in the society, the act of crime is condemnable and unacceptable in a healthy society, no matter the justification criminals may present.
It is a paradox that Nigeria is a rich country inhabited by the poor. Her poverty profile in statistical figures according to a recent study indicates that Nigerian people live in one of the twenty poorest countries in the world. The trend in poverty is on the decline. The proportion of population living in relative poverty reduced to 54%. Data also shows that the proportion of population living in extreme poverty was 35% while the percentage of underweight children was 30% (Ladan, 2010).
The proportion of the population living in relative poverty was expected to have fallen to 28.78 per cent in 2007, if the MDG target is to be met in 2015. However, among every ten Nigerians, five were still living in poverty in 2007. Analysis of poverty incidence by sectors indicated that poverty was more pronounced in the rural areas than in the urban. Similarly, while poverty was more pronounced among farmers and larger households headed by persons with lower levels of education, income inequality is more pronounced in urban centres. Unemployment rate in Nigeria rose from about 12 out of 100 working age people in 1999 to 18 in 2005 with the rate of youth unemployment rising in urban than rural areas. The
various Federal Government Initiatives on poverty reduction, food security, respect for the Rule of Law, balanced socio-economic development and the various safety nets of government created relatively better supportive policy environment (Ladan, 2010).