CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Crime is present in every society, and no society can claim to be completely free of it. What changes is the type of crime, which tends to follow a society's pattern of social and economic development. Societies that are still developing, or that are passing through political and economic transition, are more likely to see violent offences such as armed robbery, politically motivated killings, the use of illegal weapons and ethnic or religious clashes. Crime causes loss of life and property and creates an overwhelming fear of insecurity. It undermines democracy, economic development, social capital and the aspirations of individuals and communities for a good standard of living and respect for human rights.

Increases in violent crime and delinquency are a common feature of societies in transition. They have been linked to the difficulty of managing change in its early stages, to the dismantling of the repressive security structures of earlier regimes, and to unequal economic opportunities that follow economic liberalisation. What separates one transitional society from another is the response of government. Countries that invest more in social crime prevention and in peaceful, transparent solutions to political problems tend to manage rising crime better (Iduseri, 2019).

Nigeria's experience fits this pattern. After the return to civilian rule in 1999, safety and security quickly became a leading concern for citizens, and increasing armed robbery created fear that affected economic and social life. Successive governments introduced crime control measures, but with limited success. The contraction of the labour market after the economic reforms of the 1980s also left a large pool of unemployed young people, which provided a setting in which deviant activities could thrive. Agnew's (1992) general strain theory helps to explain this link. It holds that people who experience strain, for example because they cannot achieve goals such as money or status by legitimate means, may turn to crime to relieve it. Recent Nigerian studies are consistent with this view. Mohammed et al. (2021) examined the effect of unemployment on crimes such as robbery, murder, rape, stealing and drug offences in Kaduna State using regression analysis of police data for 2002 to 2016.

Benin City, the capital of Edo State, has been a particular focus of concern. Iduseri (2019) reports that kidnapping, human trafficking, armed robbery and rape have become common in Benin City since 1999. In a survey of 150 residents across Oredo, Ikpoba-Okha and Egor, she found that most respondents rated crime since 1999 as high or very high, that armed robbery and kidnapping were seen as the most prevalent crimes, and that unemployment was the factor most often blamed for crime. More recently, Egharevba and Atewe (2024) surveyed 367 residents of the Benin metropolis and found that insecurity has led them to adopt coping strategies, including reliance on vigilantes, which underlines the continuing seriousness of the problem.

Official statistics are an important source of information on crime. The Nigeria Police Force records reported offences, and the National Bureau of Statistics publishes them by state under four headings: offences against persons, offences against property, offences against lawful authority and offences against local acts (National Bureau of Statistics [NBS], 2017). Police records have limits, however. They contain only the crimes that are reported, and police officers themselves acknowledge that many crimes are not reported (Iduseri, 2019). Even so, they remain the main long-term record of crime in Nigeria, and they allow trends and patterns to be examined quantitatively.

This study therefore identifies, describes and analyses trends in criminal offences recorded at the Benin Police Divisional Headquarters, Edo State, from 1999 to 2018, in view of the importance of security to national development.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Many Nigerians believe that crime and insecurity in the country are very high and have risen steeply in recent years. Organised and non-organised crimes, including smuggling of contraband such as firearms, counterfeiting, money laundering, armed robbery, kidnapping, vehicle hijacking and human trafficking, are major concerns for government. Cases of high-profile crime, politically motivated killings and kidnapping add to the complexity of the situation.

Benin City is not exempt. Residents report that crime has risen since the return to civilian rule, and that neighbourhood watch groups and the presence of security agencies have not stopped the increase (Iduseri, 2019; Egharevba & Atewe, 2024). The government's duty to protect lives and property is central to its legitimacy, and persistent insecurity threatens national development goals, including Sustainable Development Goal 16 on peace, justice and strong institutions.

Existing studies of crime in Benin City rely mainly on questionnaires, perceptions and simple percentages (Iduseri, 2019; Egharevba & Atewe, 2024). Less attention has been paid to applying statistical tests to long-run police records in order to determine which crimes are most common, whether crimes against persons differ from crimes against property, and whether crime has increased significantly over time. The problem addressed by this study is therefore the lack of a statistical analysis of the criminal offences recorded at the Benin Police Divisional Headquarters from 1999 to 2018.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The general objective of the study is to find out, describe and analyse the trends in criminal activities in Benin, Edo State. The specific objectives are to:

1. ascertain the most prevalent form of crime recorded in Benin, Edo State;
2. determine whether there is a significant difference between crimes against persons and crimes against property;
3. establish the trend of recorded crime in Benin City, Edo State, between 1999 and 2018; and
4. make recommendations on possible ways of curbing criminal activities in the state.

1.4 Research Questions

The following research questions guided the study:

1. What factors are associated with crime in Edo State?
2. Which forms of crime are the most prevalent in Edo State?
3. Is the recorded crime rate in Edo State increasing or decreasing?

1.5 Research Hypotheses

The following null hypotheses guided the study:

• H01: There are no significant differences among the various forms of crime recorded in the state.
• H02: There is no significant difference between crimes against persons and crimes against property in the state.
• H03: There is no significant increase in the trend of recorded crime over the period 1999 to 2018.

1.6 Scope of the Study

This is an empirical study of trends in criminal activities in Edo State, using records of offences obtained from the Benin Police Divisional Headquarters. The variables studied are the factors associated with crime, the most prevalent forms of crime in the state, and the pattern of recorded crime over the period 1999 to 2018.

1.7 Significance of the Study

The study is significant in the following ways:

1. Law enforcement agencies. It identifies the most prevalent forms of crime, the problems of fighting crime and possible solutions, which can help law enforcement agencies to plan more effective crime control.
2. Government. It provides information on the extent of criminal activity and shows the need to guarantee the security of citizens. It also draws attention to the barriers to the security of lives and property in major cities, including the need to equip security agencies properly and to motivate their personnel through training, regular promotion and prompt payment of salaries.
3. Researchers and students. It adds to the body of knowledge on the causes and trends of crime in urban areas, and it provides a guide for other researchers interested in the study of crime.

1.8 Limitations of the Study

The study relies on police records, which include only offences that were reported to the police. Many crimes are never reported, so the recorded figures understate the true level of crime (Iduseri, 2019). Changes in reporting practice, record keeping and policing over the twenty-year period may also affect the figures. The findings are therefore best read as trends in recorded crime rather than as exact measures of actual crime.

1.9 Definition of Key Terms

Crimes are commonly classified in police statistics as follows (NBS, 2017):

1. Offences against persons: Crimes committed against individuals or groups that may cause physical or psychological harm to the victim. They include murder, manslaughter, attempted murder, suicide, grievous harm or wounding, assault, child stealing, slave dealing, rape and indecent assault, and unnatural offences.
2. Offences against property: Crimes committed with the intent to permanently deprive a person of property or to destroy or damage it. They include stealing, robbery and extortion, burglary, house breaking, false pretences or cheating, store breaking, forgery, receiving stolen property, unlawful possession and arson.
3. Offences against lawful authority: Crimes such as forgery of currency notes, coining offences, breach of the public peace, gambling, perjury, bribery and corruption, and escaping from lawful custody.
4. Offences against local acts: Offences against traffic, township, liquor, dog and firearms acts, narcotics offences and similar offences.
5. Conventional crimes: Violent crimes, such as murder, armed robbery, rape, manslaughter, ritual killings, kidnapping and assault, and property crimes, such as burglary, larceny, shoplifting, theft of motorcycles, bicycles and motor vehicles, theft of car accessories, embezzlement, fraud, arson and purse snatching.
6. White-collar crime: An illegal act punishable by criminal law that is committed in the course of a legitimate occupation by a corporation or by an otherwise respectable person.
7. Organised crime: Crime involving many people who take part in different stages of the criminal act. It includes human trafficking, drug trafficking, cybercrime, money laundering, advance fee fraud, corruption and assassination.
8. Crimes without victims: Offences such as prostitution, drug abuse and gambling.

References

Agnew, R. (1992). Foundation for a general strain theory of crime and delinquency. Criminology, 30(1), 47–88.

Egharevba, J. O., & Atewe, F. A. (2024). Insecurity and the coping strategies of residents in Benin metropolis, Nigeria. Ghana Journal of Geography, 16(3). https://doi.org/10.4314/gjg.v16i3.11

Iduseri, E. O. (2019). Crime as a threat to national security: A case study of Benin City from 1999–2014. UNILAG Journal of Humanities, 6(2), 103–115.

Mohammed, R. Y., Lalin, S. S., & Dansadiq, I. A. (2021). Regression analysis on crime rates in Kaduna State from 2002–2016. Applied Mathematics and Computational Intelligence, 10(1), 166–175.

National Bureau of Statistics. (2017). Crime statistics: Reported offences by type and state (2016). https://nigerianstat.gov.ng/download/567