Conflict and Crime in the Society: A Bane to Socio-Economic Development in Nigeria

Abstract

Just like conflict, crime is functional and pervasive as no unit of society is totally free and spared of it woes and throes when it occurs. The way the polity is organized can create both root causes and conditions favourable to negative conflict with its attendants consequences. Societies like Nigeria and other developing countries; where corruption and corrupt practices are heralded, politicians are above the law and the unfit are preferred in positions cannot possibly escape intractable violence and destructive conflict which arguably can undo economic, political and social gains of country and scare potential investors. Two theories (conflict and functional) were considered to explain the phenomena of conflict and crime. The findings reveals that the primary beneficiaries in conflict situations are politicians (they provide arms and fund conflictants); and poverty was seen as another reason for the meteoric rise of conflict and crime in Nigeria. They study made some recommendations among which includes; the existing legislations on conflict and crime as provided in the criminal code should be implemented and culprit punished and vexed issues should be amicably redress through the court, council of chiefs and elders as it is done in African traditional setting.

Key words: Conflict; Crime; Threat; Insecurity destruction