High Rate Of Crime Unraveling In The Northeast -By Tijjani Bulama

Since the inception of Boko Haram insurgency in the region in the year 2009, the region began to witness different kinds of crime ranging from killings, kidnappings amongst others. This has grossly affected the economy of the region. Wheras many have lost their jobs and many property worth billions of naira were vandalized.

The Boko Haram insurgents have their headquarter in Maiduguri state. They have have killed indefinte numbers of peoples in the region. Later in late 2014 some group of people called “Kato da gora” dwell in and sacrificed their lives to arrest any terrorist they can identify. Therefore government under leadership of Kashim Shattima encourage them and merge them in the Nigerian security. Nigerian army and Civilian Joint Task Force jointly take action to fight against Boko Haram within the cities, and then later form operation “Hadin kai’ youths.

Following the intervention of government security personnel and join task force, it contributed in trapping and tackling the Boko Haram issues. Some were caught, others are chased out of cities. Today, Boko Haram is fading and less affective it the region compared to when it started.

Dispite the fact that Government had tried to end security threat in the region and at the Country at large, the crime ideologies are left behind became very effective to the region and gave birth to other homegrown security threat. The past experience led to current gangsters groups that threatens the peace of the region. This crimes include phone snatching, fighting using arms, killings, robbery amongst . Actors of these crimes are identified in borno as malians group and remains unidentified in some states of the region but they’re all works against peace.

The Borno state government have introduced so many strategies to execute the acts of this groups which includes the Joint task force and Anti-Malians. They’re set up purposely to deal with sort of youths group engaging in such crime. This ideologies and mindset needs to be executed first by mobilization and creating awareness.

Unemployment is one of the factors that led youth to engage in gangsterism and all sort of terrorisim. For over a decade people lost their jobs, unemployment where in areas affected by insurgency irunning and destructed of market or any means of income to the region.

Lack of proper education is also one factor, this has come after the insurgencies drove out people from their places of birth, and vandalize their school available for study. Despite the State Universal basic education and UNICEF action to go along with every child and to ensure every child must be educated, few are benefiting from the support. Which may be negligence of the parents and lacks of access.

In Conclusion. The state and regional Government have to re-strategise the fighting plan against terrorisim and all sort of criminals by adopting ways to reshape their ideologies through ways of public awareness, radio jingle or creating workshop and seminars that would further enlighten them. Also, to create jobs opportunities and financial support for youth to depend on.

On the other hand, parents should have to control and teach their children good characters and habit from their home and take them to school. It is said that charity begins at home. If parents are negligent and leave their children to go on street without control, it would result to the children engaging in crime and forming criminals group.

TIJJANI BULAMA from department of Mass communication, Borno state University