COMMUNAL INITIATIVE TOWARDS CRIME CONTROL AND PREVENTION IN KEFFI TOWNSHIP, KEFFI LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF NASARAWA STATE-NIGERIA

Abstract

Since the dawn of human civilization, crime has been a reoccurring problem. There is hardly any
society in the world today without the challenges of crime. This paper examines the communal
initiative towards crime control and prevention in Keffi Township, Keffi Local Government Area
of Nasarawa State-Nigeria. The social survey research design was adopted for this paper. Data
were collected using quantitative and qualitative methods. 101 questionnaires were distributed
and 99 retrieved from respondents from four selected electoral wards in Keffi Local Government
Area of Nasarawa State-Nigeria, through simple random techniques. The technique used in the
analysis of data for the paper was the quantitative data analyzed using univariate analysis for this
study. Data collected showed that loss of lives and properties are implications of crime and
criminality among the residents of the study areas and mobilization of the private security group
and private neighborhood patrol team are the two top measures often taken by residents of the
area to control and prevent crime occurrence. The paper recommends that there is a need to adjust
our political and economic system to alleviate poverty. Alleviating and alleviating absolute poverty
from our society will go a long way to not only reduce the menace of crime but also reduced the
rate of its occurrence.