CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Universally, the fundamental responsibility of a state is to protect the lives and properties of its

citizens. According to Omoyibo and Akpomera (2013), security is a concept that is prior to the

state and the state exists in order to provide security. Security therefore, is the prime

responsibility of the state (Hobbes, 1996). This is because security is a highly valued goal, which

may be difficult to reach because of different threats and risks in personal lives and in near and

global environments. The word insecurity is a broad concept. It entails terrorism; conflicts both

religious and ethnic; general political violence; youth political thuggery; farmers and herdsmen

feud; armed robbery, kidnapping etc. The impact of these on both psychic and overall

functioning of Nigeria cannot be overestimated (Eme, 2011). Insecurity takes various forms.

According to Eme (2009), It is the breach of peace, and security whether historical, religious,

Ethno-regional, civil, social, economic and political, that has contributed to the recurring

conflicts which Nigeria has witnessed over the years resulting in wanton destruction and loss of

lives and property. The desire for security is fundamental to human survival. However, insecurity

is not unique to Nigeria alone. Insecurity has geographically spread across the globe. The United

States, United Kingdom and many countries face the challenges of insecurity within their

borders on a daily basis (Adejumo, 2011). The differences between these nations and Nigeria

according Adejumo, is how they manage the threats and impact.

Socioeconomically, Nigeria has been confronted with numerous conflicts (farmers and Fulani

herdsmen feud, ethno-religious conflicts, indigene settler conflicts etc.) that have inflicted

monumental damage on the economy, politics and peaceful coexistence amongst groups (Sha,
2005). Notwithstanding the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of

Nigeria which specifically states that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary

purpose of government.

Armed robbery, in criminal law, is an aggravated form of theft that involves the use of a lethal

weapon to perpetrate violence or the threat of violence a victim. Eme (2009) This act in itself is

an infringement on the fundamental human rights of the victim and the Nigerian criminal law

which attracts serious sanctions. It is one of the rising features of crime in the country today. The

perpetual occurrence of it despites official proscription is mindboggling.

The case of armed robbery attacks has been and will continue to be a menace which has

hampered on the peaceful coexistence of citizens in the country. The dangers which this illicit act

has caused ranges from lost of properties and even lives as the case may be.

Crime like armed robbery is an everyday phenomenon found to have eaten deep into the heart of

every society. It is a common word which has uncommon connotations, depending on what an

individual or group thinks or defines it,(Hartjen,1978;Sellin 1939). They observed that since

every society has its rules or norms designed to control the behavior of its member, the study of

crime according to the behavioral school of thought then is the study of those activities that

violates socially prescribed standards, whether or not it breaks some criminal law.

Paul Tatpan (1960), refers to crime as any intention act or omission, in violation of criminal law

(statutory and case law), committed without defense or justification and sanctioned by the state,

as a felony or simple offense. It is therefore evident that criminal activities have negative impact

on society, community, and most especially on the victims, on which such crimes are

perpetrated. Activities such as murder rape, arson, burglary, gambling, robbery embezzlement
assault and prostitution are examples of these crimes committed. It should be noted that

individuals have the desire to feel safe in their homes places of work, community and wherever

they find themselves. To fulfill this urge, criminal activities are reported to appropriate

authorities, established to safeguard the lives and properties of its citizens. The criminal justice

system is therefore, put in place to deliver crimes reported to them.

Crimes reported cannot be said to have effectively reduced the rate of criminal activities, making

people lose their faith in the Criminal Justice System (CJS). Individuals or groups concurrently

complain about the injustice they suffer when nefarious criminal acts are overlooked and treated

with such low level of seriousness. It could be concluded therefore that the major factor

adducible to the loose of faith of individual, groups and corporate bodies, is the perceived

inefficiency of the so-called appropriate bodies.

The failure of economic growth in most developing and developed countries of Latin America

and Africa, in the late 1970s, to deliver corresponding social goods and solve problems of

unemployment, poverty, disease, hunger, illiteracy and ever-increasing crimes and wars,

necessitated the emergence of insecurity in Jos North (Nwanegbo and Odigbo, 2013). Plateau

State is a homeland of several ethnic groups in Nigeria and by reason of its geographical and

friendly weather occupies a strategic position in the middle belt of the country. Yet, it remains

one of the least developed states in Nigeria notwithstanding the long term contacts with

foreigners living in the city for as far back as 1940‟s.During the colonial and early post-colonial

periods, Jos was dominated by migrants while the indigenes made up less than 2% of the city

population. “The migrants also dominated 86% economic life in the city because Igbo, Yoruba,

and Hausa were traditionally strong in trade and other commercial activities” (Krause, 2011).

This is simply because most of the indigenous people were into farming, as supported by
Mangvwat (2013), who points out that land farming, was the basic occupation of the Plateau

people. As a result, their calendar was based on agricultural activities like farm clearing, burning,

cultivation, tilling, sowing, weeding, harvesting, threshing, and storing. They supplemented their

income with other activities like hunting, fishing, crafts (Mangvwat, 2013), blacksmithing,

pottery, and civil service.

This is also why Plateau people were easily able to continue their business lives as traders in

other goods when tin mining declined in the 1960s. The Hausas had served as middlemen, but

with the decline of tin mining activities some of them lost their jobs. Therefore, it was easy for

them to go into the informal economy because of their long history of doing business. Sha

(2005),argues that the migrant population engaged in all sorts of small scale production and

commercial ventures as means of meeting livelihood challenges. Many of them became dry

season farmers, petty traders, taxi and bus drivers and owners, artisans, sales commission agents,

retailers, and pool agents (Sha, 2005).

Markets were also created in various parts of the city, which helped in the expansion of the city.

Examples of these created markets are the Meat market, the Central market at the terminus area.

The geographical location and economic history of Plateau State converged in its becoming one

of the most religiously plural cities in Nigeria and a particularly significant meeting point for

Christianity and Islam, and yet, until the 1990s, its diverse communities lived together in peace

(Best & Rakodi, 2011). Today, Diversity has taken its negative toll on the state, however, leading

to conflicts as discussed in the study.

1.2 Statement of the Problem.

This research examines the effects of armed robbery on the daily lives, living standards, political

behaviour and economic activities of the people of Jos North and Sabon Gari Local Government
Areas of Plateau State. The socio- economic activities of the people of Plateau State have been

affected drastically by insecurity in various forms. The interaction of social and economic

practice in Jos North like Sabon Gari has witnessed a lot of setbacks. Economic and social

activities are shaped by social processes that are not hindered by insecurity forces. For a society

to grow, it needs to focus and protect the socio- economic conditions and well-being of the

people.

Many societies all over the world have had to contend with the consequences of criminal

activities, which include lives and properties fear of the unknown, political instability,

victimization by conventional criminals, amongst others.(Fayeye, 2010.)

Even though a member of the society reports a crime to a law enforcement officer, it would not

be counted unless it is recorded in a way that allows it to be incorporated into the crime statistics,

as a consequence, offending particularly minor offending, may be significantly under counted in

situations where law enforcement officers are overloaded with work or do not perceive the

offending as worth recording. Some crimes reported are not done in a way that the actual event

of things is made known. These crimes lack uniformity, which produce obvious difficulties in

actually investigating and solving the crimes that are reported. Another causal factor may include

the time frame of the crime. A firsthand account is relatively low. For example by the time a

robbery case is being reported, the robbers will probably have fled the victims in the hospital,

answering police questions if any is around or even in the mortuary.

Certain behavior are labeled deviant which in actual fact may not be, according to the criminal

code of that particular society. Members of the society (victims and witnesses), are most times

ignorant of criminal laws. When such behaviors are reported, they are more or less unimportant.

Crimes known to police (CKP), already certified as reported may not be analyzed as desired by
victims of such immoral acts. Charges may be dropped, even when the perpetrator is arrested.

Such is the situation when there is lack of evidence. Another popular incidence is the arrest of

innocent persons in place of those that actually committed the crimes. This maybe as a result of

being in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

Pleading guilty to a crime, lower than that which an offender commits is another major problem.

In most cases, it reduces the levity of punishment and sentence becomes inproportionate to the

actual crime committed. Also among the problems associated with crime reporting, is the

dependency of skills on both the prosecuting counsel and defense counsel, with convictions and

acquaintances actually depending on the professional skills of both counsels.

Another problem associated with the procedure of reporting crimes is the inconsistencies

involved in information given out by the so-called witnesses, when crimes are being

investigated. The illiterate nature of most citizens about the legal and criminal code of its society

poses a greater threat. Some just give information about a crime thinking that by doing so; they

will be popular, given money for coming forth with’ vital information’. With this, they say or do

anything to act as if they were present when the crime occurred. This scenario drastically slows

down the process of justice.

1.3 research questions.

I. How do robbery activities affect the economic stability of residents and business in
Sabon Gari area?

ii. What are the most common types of robbery incidents occurring in Sabon Gari?

iii. What are the social consequences of robbery activities on community cohesion and
interpersonal trust among residents of Sabon Gari?

iv. How do robbery incidents impact the psychological wellbeing of victims?

1.4 Objectives of the study

The motive behind carrying out this research work is to properly and carefully scrutinize the

effect of behavior contrary to the formal law in the society, on its victims and to achieve the

following aims;

-to evaluate how robbery activities affect the economic stability of residents and businesses in

the sabon gari area, including financial losses, changes in business operations and properties

values

- to identify and categorize the most common types of robbery incidents occurring in Sabon Gari

and its environs.

-to access the social consequences of robbery activities on community cohesion and

interpersonal trust among residents, examining changes in social interactions and communal

relationships.

- to analyze the psychological effects of robbery incidents on victims and the broader

community, focusing on issues such as fear, anxiety and mental health challenges and to explore

the coping mechanisms employed by affected individuals.

1.5 Significance of the Study.

Most importantly, this research work is to contribute to the knowledge of the criminal activities
and how they may be reduced or at most eradicated. It shall also act as a basis for further
investigation or scrutinization on crime reporting and the various psychological social effects on
its victims.

Lastly, it is an attempt to bring into limelight; some of the errors involved in the process of crime

reporting and suggest likely solutions on how to improve these services.

1.6 Scope of Study.

This research work is basically concerned with the major effect of armed robbery and other

forms of criminal activities reporting on the victims and the impact of proper investigation of

criminal activities amongst members of the Jos and Sabon Gari metropolitan areas. For the

purpose of accurate and effective research work, the study is restricted to a selected sample, from

the entire metropolis, a representative of a fair proportion as a whole.

1.7 Definition of terms.

Armed robbery

Armed robbery is a specific type of robbery where the perpetrator uses a weapon or threatens to

use a weapon during the commission of the crime. The presence of a weapon increases the level

of danger and potential harm to the victims involved. It is crucial to prioritize your safety and the

safety of others. Remember, your safety and the safety of others should always be the top

priority in an armed robbery situation. Cooperate with the robber's demands, and do not take any

actions that could escalate the situation or put yourself at further risk.

Crime

Crime can be defined as those activities that break the laws of the land and are subject to official

punishment (Haralambos,1980).

Criminal.

A criminal is a person who is involved in illegal activities or has been proven guilty or

responsible for a crime.

Deviance
Deviance may be defined as any social behavior which departs from that regarded as normal or

socially acceptable within a society or social context, (Becker, 1963). Another scholar Lemert,

(1961) used the term ‘primary deviance’ rather than deviance to mean the initial act of rule-

breaking.

Criminal Justice System (CJS)

The set of institutions developed as the state response to crime and criminals. (David and Mary

Jary,1991). A variety of organizations that have been created to combat crime and delinquency.

The police, courts and correctional systems together compose the criminal justice system.

Prosecuting Counsel

The prosecuting counsel refers to the lawyer, who tries to prove in a court of law that the person

charged with a crime is guilty. (Longman Oxford Dictionary).

Defense Counsel

This is also a lawyer, who tries to prove that someone is not guilty of a crime, in a court of law

i.e innocent.

Victim

A person who has been attacked by a criminal.

Witness

A person who is present at the scene of a crime or criminal activity and can describe the incident

clearly and without bias.

Effect

It is the outcome of the existence or occurrence of a particular social action or event.