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WOMEN IN POST-CONFLICT NIGER-DELTA OF NIGERIA: AMNESTY VERSUS RESTORATIVE JUSTICE

Abstract

The Niger-Delta of Nigeria is known for violence and conflicts as a result of opposition of militant groups to oil exploration activities concentrated in this area of Nigeria. The militant groups are still agitating for a share of the oil revenue and for the development of their region. Women in the Niger-Delta of Nigeria have experienced different levels of violence and torture during these conflict situations. Some of the crimes perpetrated against women during these conflicts are rape, forced labour, sex slavery, and brutal murder of their family members. In addition, during conflict situations and even thereafter, the women experience a deeper level of poverty as a result of their inability to continue with their economic activities such as farming or fishing due to displacements caused by the conflict as most of the women living in the Niger-Delta rural communities are subsistence farmers. Following years of insurgency by angry militants against the Nigerian government, the amnesty strategy was eventually mapped out by the government of the day in order to give the militant youth economic opportunities to stem the tide of conflicts. However, the vast majority of women and girls who were and are still victims of these conflicts were not included. This paper shall highlight the need for restorative justice especially for women who are victims of the insurgency. Whereas amnesty seeks to give a better future to the militants, the women are unable to recover effectively with little or no means of indemnifying their losses. This paper proposes restitution or compensation for victims while creating constructive roles for victims in the criminal justice process.

Keywords: Women, Niger Delta, Post-Conflict Mechanisms, Amnesty, Restorative Justice.

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THE NIGER DELTA CRISIS: ISSUES, CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS

Nigeria’s Niger Delta region is not only home to the greater part of Africa’s largest mangrove forest, but also the source of Nigeria’s oil wealth. Here, in this amazing network of creeks, and an aquatic splendor comprising marine, brackish and freshwater ecosystems, lie the operational bases of a kaleidoscope of ethnic militia and insurgent organizations dedicated to the socio-economic emancipation of the Niger Delta peoples. These have culminated in the Niger Delta Crisis. Thus, the area has become a hot bed of violence, insurgency, kidnapping, hostage-taking, oil pipeline sabotage, crude oil theft, gang wars, internecine struggles and so much else by way of anarchy and chaos. Making use of library research and content analysis methodologies, the paper detailed  in a systematic manner the real issues involved in the struggle, from the perspectives of the Nigerian State, the Niger Delta communities, and the oil Companies. The paper identified and analysed the major challenges posed by this crisis to the Nigerian State.  It concluded that in spite of the continuing deterioration of the crisis into anarchy, terror and a revolving criminality, and the militarization of the region by the Nigerian state, the conflict can still be amicably resolved. It recommended among other things that the commitment of government to infrastructural development of the region and corporate social responsibility would bring enduring peace and stability.                                                   

Key words: Niger Delta, oil wealth, ethnic militia, content analysis, corporate social responsibility.

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URBAN CRIME AND POVERTY NEXUS

Abstract

A key issue that has attracted the attention of criminologists and others in the field of crime studies is the extent to which crime influence poverty and vis-à-vis. While this debate has extensively engaged the attention of criminologists and other social scientists in the developed world, little academic attention has been given to this debate in Africa in general and Ghana in particular. Indeed the limited academic attention to crime in Africa has led to a situation whereby models and theories on the subject are largely founded on the experiences of the developed world. This introductory section to this special issue of Ghana Journal of Geography on ‘Crime and poverty

nexus in urban Ghana, highlights in brief the key issues and competing theories at the heart of the relationship between crime and poverty. This and the other papers in the volume seek to make a contribution to our knowledge and understanding of the poverty-crime nexus by adding a Third World or Sub-Saharan Africa perspective to this area of criminological research.

Key words: crime; urbanization; poverty; Ghana; Sub-Saharan Africa

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THE SOCIAL PROBLEMS OF NATIONAL POVERTY AND CRIMINALITY IN INDONESIA

Abstract: In the currently global challenges, the poverty is a problem faced by developing countries. An increase in the number of poverty is due to the impact of the global economic crisis that impact to the national crisis so that the poverty rate becomes increasing. This research paper explores the impacts of poverty on national security and criminality.  The various disabilities of many people in society to fulfill their basic needs such as food, education, and health, not only have a direct impact on the low quality of life for the community, there is also an indirect effect of arising from the poverty, such as negative effect on the national stability of a country. Additionally, criminality is a social impact arising from poverty. Data showed that the 2015 poverty rate increased to 11.175%, the number of criminal acts dramatically rose to 205,170 cases in Indonesia. It was found there is a significant correlation between national poverty and criminality rate in Indonesia. Based on these data, we can conclude that poverty affects criminal acts.

Keywords: poverty rate, national stability, criminality

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THE NEXUS BETWEEN POVERTY AND CRIME: EVIDENCE FROM INDIA

Abstract

This paper tests the theoretical relationship between poverty and crime in India. The motivation is the U.S. diplomatic reports on crime that indicated violent crime rates in India increased by 15.1% even though poverty rate decreased by 0.625% within the same period. To explore the relationship between crime and poverty the standard time series techniques are applied. India is taken as a case study. The results indicate that there is a co-integration between crime and poverty. However, crime is found to be more exogenous than poverty. This finding corroborates with earlier studies in the literature that poverty plays insignificant role in driving crime but crime may keep people in poverty due to factors such as, crime record and education. The implication of the result is that the Indian government needs to strengthen the criminal justice system to fight crime while ensuring a fair distribution of wealth.

Keywords: Crime, Poverty, VECM, VDC, India

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RE-VISITING THE CRIME-AND-POVERTY PARADIGM: AN EMPIRICAL ASSESSMENT WITH ALTERNATIVE PERSPECTIVES

Abstract: The common sense notion of the crime-and-poverty synergy is widely used by many people. It influences policy directions and some researchers have used empirical works on the matter without testing its premise.  The current study uses national data from Jamaica on 1) inflation, 2) unemployment, 3) poverty, 4) gross domestic product per capita growth, and the 5) exchange rate to test the crime-and-poverty phenomenon, and establish models that can be used to explain violent crimes.  Data from 1989 to 2009 were used to carry out this secondary data analysis. Poverty is not a causal factor of violent crimes in Jamaica, and the positive correlation between poverty and violent crimes is a spurious one. Of the five macroeconomic variables that were entered into the model, two emerged as statistically significant which explained violent crimes (F statistic = 10.1, Probability (F-statistic) <0.00001). The two factors of violent crimes are GDP per capita growth (p = 0.003) and annual exchange rate (p = 0.011). Eighty per cent of the variance in violent crimes is explained by changes in GDP and exchange rate. (R2 = 0.795) Even though 80% of variability in violent murders can be explained by annual exchange rate and annual GDP per capita growth rate, evidence shows that there are omitted variables (F>Ftable), but this study still provides a good understanding of the new paradigm. There is a need for social, political and economic transformation of the Jamaican society to benefit all. Key words: Crime, crime model, exchange rate, inflation, Jamaica, poverty, unemployment

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THE ACTIVITIES OF NIGER DELTA MILITANTS: A ROAD MARCH TO DEVELOPMENT

Abstract- This research work investigates the activities of the Niger Delta militants and how it   affects the developmental strides of the Nigerian economy. We use primary data with a target   population of students, oil company workers, civil servants, public servants, farmers, and         entrepreneurs in Bayelsa State being the main hob of militancy and very rich in      oil production  than any other state. Tables were constructed to show the level of responses and their  percentages. In the end, Chi-Square was used to test the relationship between militancy and the  economy. The results revealed that militancy has a strong significant effect on crude oil  production/supply as well  as the Nigerian economy. Militancy in the Niger Delta Region has led to the loss of revenue accruable to the Federal Government of Nigeria. The activities of militants  in the Niger Delta Region have significantly affected business life, create        unemployment and  devastated human lives in the Niger Delta region. Militancy also supports illegal bunkering. 

Keywords: militancy, unemployment, business activities,        development, revenue, and economy.

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POVERTY AND INCREASE IN CRIME RATE IN THE NIGER DELTA

ABSTRACT

Niger Delta is a wetland in the Southern part of Nigeria with a lot of human and material resources. The resources from the area marks a lot to the federal government as a major means of revenue generation. But the federal government has deprived them of such benefits, hence the declaration for resource control. The aim of this paper is to examine the linkage between poverty and increase in crime rate in Niger Delta. While the objectives are to evaluate the happenings and proffer solutions to easily ameliorate the extent of harm the situations has caused after all. Then study adopted the actualization and attribution theories which are used to evaluate the linkages of poverty and increase in crime rate in the Niger Delta. It also adopted descriptive research method and made use of secondary data. The study found out that in Nigeria, the land use decree of 1978 alienated the people of Niger Delta from the management of the resources that comes out from their land; that bad political leadership that is parochial without the interest of the people, was one of the major challenge; high level of fraudulent corruption in the country stands as  a  hindrance to  development of  the  Niger Delta  area; lack  of  control on environment and implementation of environmental laws is also a challenge and that poverty is in the increase in the Niger Delta region. The study therefore recommended: Abolition of  Nigeria land  use  decree  of  1978, qualitative education, participatory process involving the people of Niger Delta community members in decision-making, appropriate skill  knowledge to  ameliorate  poverty, strengthening of  anti-corruption agencies among others.

Key Words: Poverty, Crime and Niger Delta. 

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POVERTY AND CRIME: EVIDENCE FROM RAINFALL AND TRADE SHOCKS IN INDIA 

Abstract

Does poverty lead to crime? We shed light on this question using two independent and exogenous shocks to household income in rural India: the dramatic reduction in import tariffs in the early 1990s and rainfall variations. We find that trade shocks, previously shown to raise relative poverty, also increased the incidence of violent crimes and property crimes. The relationship between trade shocks and crime is similar to the observed relationship between rainfall shocks and crime. Our results thus identify a causal effect of poverty on crime. They also lend credence to a large literature on the effects of weather shocks on crime and conflict, which has usually assumed that the income channel is the most relevant one. 

Keywords: Rainfall, Weather, Crime, Trade Liberalization, India

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OIL AND VIOLENCE: EXAMINING THE NIGER DELTA CRISIS AND ITS IMPLICATION TO NIGERIA’S DEMOCRATIC STABILITY

Abstract

At the start of oil exploration in the Niger Delta in 1956, the oil bearing communities had anticipated some measure of industrialization and economic empowerment. Unfortunately, this was not the case as oil exploration orchestrated systemic contradictions in the region evidenced in marginalization, social exclusion and environmental degradation. The situation was further complicated by the unholy alliance between the Nigerian state and the oil multinationals which consequently engendered militancy in the region, thus constituting a grave threat to Nigeria’s democratic stability. As a panacea to the crisis, this paper calls for reforms in the country’s land use act, restructuring of the Nigerian federation, stringent measures against the oil firms and continued dialogue between the warring parties amongst others. The qualitative research method of secondary data collection was adopted while the frustration-aggression theory was utilized as a framework of analysis.

Keywords: Resource curse, crisis, oil exploration, militia groups, democracy