Assessment of Insecurity Challenges in Nyanya Area of Abuja, Nigeria

Abstract

Insecurity is a major phenomenon plaguing many regions in Nigeria. However, the situation is more intensified in the northern part of the country where boko Haram insurgents has thrived unabated. Insecurity is not only caused by a single factor but a combination of factors such as armed robbery, burglary (house and shops) terrorism, cults activities among others. The aim of this study is to assess the incidence of insecurity and it effects on residents of Nyanyan, Abuja. Nyanyan has 40232 households, 10% of the households population we are used to carry out this study using multi-state systematic random sampling method. Nyanyan was divided into six(6) neighborhoods and questionnaires were distributed according to the number of households in the neighborhood This study discovered that Nyanyan has 51.4% of armed robbery ocurrencies on monthly basis, 41.2% incedence of shop burglary on daily basis, 30.4% incidence of house burglary on weekly basis, 55.8% cases of false pretense on daily basis and 51.4% occurrence of unlawful possession on daily basis and these crimes are mostly caused by unemployment and underemployment, poverty, low and lack of formal education, lesser penalty for offenders, lack of parental care, peer pressure, poor social amenities among others. However, as risen the level of insecurity and fear in a year from 30.6% in 2013 to 67.4% in 2015 in view of these, many crime prevention measures have been taken by the residents and the government among which are effective police petrol, several military checkpoints and restriction of movements. The research therefore, recommended that government should strengthen its security forces in areas like the Nyanyan Village, Nyanyan market area and Mararba junctions respectively to reduce the level of crime occurrence and there should be a joint security service between the government security and residents security providers to help contain crime activities in the area.