CRIME REPORTING AND PERCEIVED EFFECTS ON ITS VICTIMS (A CASE STUDY OF ILORIN METROPOLIS)

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Crime, broadly understood as any behaviour contrary to the formal law of a society and punishable by the state, has consequences that extend well beyond the immediate act itself, touching the lives of victims, their families, and the wider community. Official crime statistics, however, capture only a fraction of the criminal activity that actually occurs in society, a discrepancy that criminologists refer to as the dark figure of crime, the volume of offences that are committed but never reported to, or recorded by, the police or other criminal justice agencies (Aborisade, 2023). This gap between actual and reported crime is not merely a statistical curiosity; it has direct implications for victims, since unreported crimes rarely attract the attention, investigation or redress that might otherwise be available to those affected, and offenders whose acts go undetected remain free to victimize others.

Within the Nigerian context, a number of studies have sought to understand both the extent of underreporting and its consequences. Alemika and Chukwuma (2005), in a landmark study of criminal victimization and fear of crime in Nigeria, documented widespread public reluctance to report crime to the police, a reluctance driven variously by distrust of law enforcement, fear of reprisal, and a perception that reporting would yield little practical benefit. More recent work has continued to substantiate this pattern in specific Nigerian contexts: Eze et al. (2023), examining traders' crime-reporting behaviour in Enugu State, found that a considerable proportion of market-related offences go unreported due to a combination of distrust in the police and the traders' preference for informal, self-help means of resolving disputes, while Aborisade (2023) similarly found that survivors of sexual crimes in Nigeria frequently choose not to report their victimization to the police, often for fear of secondary victimization within the criminal justice process itself.

The consequences of crime for victims, whether or not the offence is formally reported, have also received growing scholarly attention. Habeeb, Isiaka, Obasanjo and Ibrahim (2021), in a study conducted specifically within Ilorin, Kwara State, investigated the experiences of crime victims with the Nigerian criminal justice system, from the point of reporting through to trial and ruling, and found that victims were frequently left dissatisfied with the process, in part because of the inadequate or entirely absent compensation for the harms and losses they had suffered, even in cases where appropriate penalties had been imposed on offenders. This finding points to a wider concern in victimology: that criminal justice systems, including Nigeria's, tend to be oriented primarily toward the prosecution and punishment of offenders, with comparatively less structured attention paid to the practical, psychological and financial effects of crime on those it directly harms. It is against this background, the twin concerns of underreporting and the often-overlooked plight of crime victims, that the present study examines crime reporting and its perceived effects on victims within Ilorin metropolis.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Despite growing scholarly attention to both the dark figure of crime and the experiences of crime victims within the Nigerian criminal justice system, there remains only limited empirical evidence, specific to Ilorin metropolis, on the actual gap between the level of crime that occurs and the level that is formally reported, and on how victims themselves perceive the effects of the crimes they have suffered. Where crimes go unreported, whether due to distrust of the police, fear of reprisal, or a belief that reporting would achieve little, victims are frequently left to bear the physical, psychological and financial consequences of their victimization largely unassisted, while offenders remain free to reoffend. Even where crimes are reported, existing evidence from Ilorin itself suggests that victims often emerge dissatisfied with the process, having received little or no compensation for the harms suffered (Habeeb et al., 2021). Without a clearer, locally grounded understanding of the true extent of unreported crime, its perceived effects on victims, and the factors that shape whether responsibility for crime is properly assigned, policymakers and criminal justice practitioners in Ilorin metropolis lack an adequate evidence base on which to design more victim-responsive interventions. It is this gap that the present study seeks to address.

1.3 Aims and Objectives of the Study

The motive behind carrying out this research work is to properly and carefully scrutinize the effect of behaviour contrary to the formal law in society on its victims, and to achieve the following aims:

• To assess the actual level of crime as against reported crimes.

• To highlight the effect or impact of such reported crimes on their victims.

• To make practical suggestions on how to reduce the negative effects of crimes.

• To suggest ways in which criminals are to be punished, for correction.

• To ascertain who exactly can be held responsible for the widespread nature of criminal activities.

1.4 Research Questions

In line with the aims set out above, this study seeks to answer the following research questions:

• What is the actual level of crime in Ilorin metropolis as against the level of crime formally reported to the appropriate authorities?

• What effects or impacts do reported crimes have on their victims in Ilorin metropolis?

• What practical measures can be adopted to reduce the negative effects of crime on victims?

• What forms of punishment are perceived as most effective in correcting criminal behaviour?

• Who can be held responsible for the widespread nature of criminal activities in Ilorin metropolis?

1.5 Significance of the Study

This study is significant to law enforcement agencies and criminal justice policymakers, as its findings will shed light on the actual extent of underreporting in Ilorin metropolis and the reasons behind it, information that can inform strategies aimed at improving public trust in, and willingness to engage with, the criminal justice system. To victims of crime and victim-support organizations, the study draws attention to the often under-addressed effects of victimization, and offers evidence-based suggestions for reducing the negative impact of crime on those affected.

The study is also significant to the academic community, contributing Ilorin-specific evidence to a growing body of Nigerian victimology and criminology literature, including the work of Alemika and Chukwuma (2005), Habeeb et al. (2021), Eze et al. (2023) and Aborisade (2023). Finally, the study will serve as a useful reference for future researchers, students and policymakers interested in crime reporting behaviour and victim welfare within Nigerian urban settings.

1.6 Scope of the Study

This study is focused on Ilorin metropolis, comprising the Ilorin East, Ilorin West and Ilorin South Local Government Areas of Kwara State, Nigeria. The scope of the study covers an examination of the gap between actual and reported crime within the metropolis, the perceived effects of reported crime on victims, and the identification of measures that could reduce these negative effects and better assign responsibility for criminal activity. The study draws on the experiences and perceptions of crime victims and other relevant stakeholders within Ilorin metropolis, and does not extend to crime patterns or victim experiences outside this defined geographical area.

1.7 Limitations of the Study

This study is subject to a number of limitations common to victimological research. Because crime, and particularly unreported crime, is by its nature a sensitive subject, some respondents may be reluctant to fully disclose their experiences of victimization, which may affect the completeness of the data gathered on the true, as opposed to officially reported, level of crime. The study also relies substantially on the self-reported perceptions of victims regarding the effects of crime on their lives, which are inherently subjective and may be shaped by factors such as the passage of time since the offence, the victim's relationship with the offender, or their prior experience with the criminal justice system. Time and resource constraints associated with the research further limited the sample size and depth of investigation that could be undertaken. Notwithstanding these limitations, every effort was made to ensure that the data gathered provide a reliable and representative picture within the scope defined for the study.

1.8 Definition of Terms

Crime: Any act or omission that constitutes an offence under the formal law of a society and is punishable by the state.

Crime Reporting: The act of formally notifying the police or other appropriate authorities of the occurrence of a crime.

Dark Figure of Crime: The volume of criminal offences that are committed but never reported to, or recorded by, law enforcement agencies, and which therefore do not appear in official crime statistics.

Victim: A person who has suffered physical, psychological, financial or other harm as a result of a criminal act.

Victimology: The scientific study of crime victims, including the causes, extent and consequences of victimization, and victims' relationship with offenders and the criminal justice system.

Criminal Justice System: The network of government institutions, including the police, courts and correctional services, responsible for detecting, prosecuting, adjudicating and punishing crime.

REFERENCES

Aborisade, R. A. (2023). On the 'darkness of dark figure' of sexual crimes: Survivors' rape reporting experiences with the Nigerian police. International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice, 73, 100576. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijlcj.2023.100576

Alemika, E. E. O., & Chukwuma, I. C. (2005). Criminal victimization and fear of crime in Nigeria. Lagos: CLEEN Foundation.

Eze, O. J., Onyejegbu, D., Chinweze, U., Nwokedi, M., Ajah, B., & Obi, D. (2023). Dark figure: Traders' crime reporting behaviour in Enugu State, Nigeria. Journal of African Films & Diaspora Studies, 6(4), 45–63.

Habeeb, A. S., Isiaka, M., Obasanjo, S. B., & Ibrahim, K. A. (2021). From reporting crime to trial and ruling: An investigation into victims' assessment of the Nigerian criminal justice process. FUOYE Journal of Criminology and Security Studies, 1(1).