The Prevalence Insecurity Issues in Ibarapa North Local Government, Oyo State, Nigeria.

The Prevalence Insecurity Issues in Ibarapa North Local Government, Oyo State, Nigeria.

Akintunde Thomas Bolanle, Adelana Joel Oluwasogo, Adeyemi Olabisi Omowumi

Department of Urban and Regional Planning, School of Environmental Studies, The Federal Polytechnic Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State. Nigeria.

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2023.7806

Received: 07 July 2023; Revised: 22 July 2023; Accepted: 27 July 2023; Published: 28 August 2023

ABSTRACT

This research paper highlights the prevalent insecurity issues in Ibarapa North Local Government, Oyo State. The region has been battling with various forms of insecurity, posing significant challenges to the safety and well-being of its residents. This paper provides overview research through a comprehensive literature review, combination of quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews, different types of insecurity problems that afflict the area were analysed, shedding light on the gravity of the situation. It accentuates the need for urgent attention and practical measures to address these issues effectively, ensuring the restoration of peace, stability, and security in study area.

INTRODUCTION

In Nigeria right now, insecurity is one of, if not the most obvious and often discussed issue. Every day across the nation, insecure acts take place. Nigerians who are rational and of sound mind are deeply disturbed about this awful trend. This essay explores the reasons of insecurity issues in Ibarapa North Local Government area of Oyo State and their effects on the neighborhood, and also the possible solutions to the problems. Among the many factors are fundamental illiteracy, unemployment, weak leadership, the porousness of our borders, the spread of weapons, and a disregard for the rule of law. As a result, there is also under development, famine, poverty, insurgency, militancy, youth unrest, kidnapping, armed robbery, fear, drug misuse, political thuggery, etc.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Crime necessitates a paradigm shift on how we typically view man in an organized society and the prospects for a better and peaceful future because it is an abnormal human condition that is unwanted and most undesirable. Since every person in Ibarapa North local government, Oyo state, seems to have some kidnapping value, the violent crime of kidnapping has kept many inhabitants awake. Kidnapping is today a global threat.

According to reports, it began in the Niger Delta when militants began kidnapping foreign oil workers to draw attention to alleged inequities, deprivation, and ecological devastation brought on by the region’s oil drilling Nnam, (2014) Ahead of time, President Umar Yar’adua would announce his Seven Point Agenda, granted presidential pardon to Niger Delta militants. Not long after, Oyo state turned to a hub of kidnappers.

THE STUDY AREA

Ibarapa North Local Government Area is located in Oyo State, Southwest Nigeria, and has its administrative center in the town of Ayete. Ibarapa North LGA is comprised of a number of cities and villages, including Tapa, Igangan, Alapala, Adeagbo, Tobalogun, Kongo, Elegbeda, and Akoya. The Egbado North, Ibarapa East, Iseyin, and portions of the Benin Republic border Ibarapa North LGA. The Yoruba ethnic group is the most numerous tribe in the Ibarapa North LGA, which has an estimated population of 41,840 people. The two major religions in the LGA, Christianity and Islam, are both widely practiced, and the Yoruba language is widely spoken. The Igangan Microfinance Bank is a notable feature in the Ibarapa north LGA.

The dry season and the rainy season are two separate seasons that are experienced in the 1,218 square kilometer Ibarapa North LGA. The LGA’s average temperature is 28 degrees Celsius, and the humidity level there is around 60%. Ibarapa North LGA experiences 9 km/h of average wind speed. With commodities including melon, maize, and vegetables growing in the region, farming is a vital part of the economy of Ibarapa North LGA. Trade is also booming in the region, and the LGA is home to a variety of marketplaces, including those in Obada, Konko, and Ajise. Textile dyeing and woodworking are two more significant economic activities carried out by the residents of Ibarapa North LGA.

Figure 1.1 Map of Nigeria showing Oyo state

Figure 1.2 Map of Oyo state showing Ibarapa North local goverment

The Nature of Kidnapping

Kidnapping is by its very nature a violent crime with a high acquisitive crime ranking that goes against a society’s values. According to Ene, (2018), assault includes kidnapping in its broadest sense. In his comment, he interpreted the definition of kidnapping as: Any person who unlawfully imprisons and removes him from his/her abode without his consent, or unlawfully imprisons any person within Nigeria in such a way as to prevent him from applying to a court for his release or from disclosing to anyone else the location of his imprisonment, or in such a way as to prohibit any person entitled to have access to him from learning the location of his imprisonment.

Ugwu (2010) acknowledged that there is a dehumanizing tendency associated with the crime of abduction as it frequently results in the victim’s death, which is in line with Badiora, (2015) line of thought. The view of Badiora, is essentially accurate because kidnapping crimes committed in our nation are typically beyond the reach of ransom demands, with death frequently the inevitable outcome for those who cannot or whose people are unable to pay the frequently exorbitant amount demanded as ransom, even after disgraceful bargaining or negotiation.

According to Osabohien, Ufua, Moses, & Osabuohien, (2020) kidnapping is a crime with a “corpus delict” that is the “body of a crime” because the elements necessary to establish the conduct as a crime are present.  According to Daramola and Basorun, 2019). kidnapping qualifies as a crime since it possesses the “corpus delict,” or “body of a crime,” required to make an act into a crime. However, kidnapping is not a situational crime because it possesses “men’s rea and actus re,” the two components that make up a criminal act, in sufficient quantities. When he argued that “men’s rea” on the one hand is the purpose to commit a crime, or the state of mind that goes along with a criminal act, Otu, Nnam, & Uduka, (2018) commented on these two ideas. On the other hand, “actus reus” refers to criminal conduct, which is a prerequisite for any crime that violates the law.

Kidnapping is a decision, not an inevitable reaction to a bleak environment, according to Inyang & Abraham (2013). Kidnapping is a decision, not an inevitable reaction to a bleak environment, according to Ogundari (2017) observation. Ibrahim & Mukhtar (2017) added further clarity to this argument when he disproved the widely held notion that kidnappers essentially have no option but to commit crimes, arguing that this view conveys a fundamentally harmful expectation to both the victims of kidnapping and potential future criminals. According to Ifeoma, Purity, & Anagbogu (2015) this way of thinking or orientation undermines the criminal’s belief in their abilities to determine their fates. Therefore, kidnapping naturally leads to a breakdown in law and order and a fall in public security. It makes sense why Ugwu (2010) believed that the methods used to address the issue were insufficient for producing the anticipated results and fruit. He concludes that the more the police plan to find the kidnappers, the more the criminals terrorize the populace. Kidnapping and terrorism are inextricably linked as brutal acts. According to Osabohien, Ufua, Moses, & Osabuohien (2020) one must first experience dread before succumbing to a kidnapping incident. According to Ugwu, it is obvious that there is a synergy between kidnapping and terrorism because it takes a certain amount of the latter to make someone vulnerable to the former.

Research Approach Adopted

Primary and secondary data collected are used in the research approach, which is both qualitative and quantitative. The respondents filled out surveys with both closed- and open-ended questions. The adopting mitigation measure, as well as certain other information included in the research, are all based on information from primary data that describes the respondent’s socioeconomic factors. Secondary data are obtained from the internet, scholars, and ministries, which provide information on the subject of the study and other facts.

Table 1.1 Distribution of Questionnaire

Source: Field Survey, 2023

The summary of the survey is presented in table 1.1. For this investigation, a sample of 381 people was determined. 300 questionnaires in total were received and validated. The questionnaires were given to the landlords, many of whom were unable to return them to the researcher because of their absence, as mentioned in the sampling techniques/procedure, and a total of 300 questionnaires were used for the analysis.

Table 1.2 Age of respondents

Source: Field Survey, 2023

In terms of age, most of the respondents are over 50 years old, amounting about 43.33% of the sampled population.  Closely followed by this are those respondents that fall between the age of 42 and 49 years. This constitutes 30% of the sampled population. Only 5% of the respondents fall between 18-25 years of age. While 6.66 and 15% formed the age group which fall within 26-33 years and 34-41 years respectively.

Table 1.3: Level of education of the respondents

Source: Field Survey, 2023

From the table 1.3 it could be deduced that the majority of the respondent were not educated or they did not undergo formal education. 36.66% closely followed by this is another high percentage of half-educated set of people which represent 31.6% of the respondent just few people passed through primary and secondary education with percentage of 15 and 9% respectively.

Types of Insecurity

Field Survey, 2023

According to the results in table 1.3, 26.66% of respondents agreed that robbery occurred in the study, whereas 66.66% disagreed and a small minority of respondents were unsure. 6.66%. Robbery was thought to be uncommon in the research area. 93.33% of respondents agreed that banditry and kidnapping of persons, as well as giving large sums of money to their abductors, were common in the research area, and none disagreed.

Plate 1.1 Fire disaster of cocoa plantation by herdsmen

Plate 1.1, indicated how Herdsmen set cocoa plantation on fire while scout for animals. There is wanton destruction of crops by grassing their animal with the farmers’ vegetable or plantation. The research shown that three hectares burnt Cocoa farm, allegedly, in the night of January 7 2019 by herders, as relation for denying them grazing access. Couple with ten acres of maize ban set ablaze by herders. Following the malicious damage of two standard acres of cassava. And another four acres of cassava farmland was seriously encroached by herdsman. This assertion is supported by 98.33% of respondents in table 1.3.  Hence, from table 1.2. during oral interview, the respondence said whenever any farmer challenges them, they attacked them, some were injured while some lost their life, and this was practically confirmed by the police station divisional headquarters in the study area.

Plate 1.2 Macheted by Herdsmen on their farmland. Source Field survey, 2023

In addition, only 1.66% agreed and 95% disagreed that there is no such thing as kidnapping for ritual killings in the study area, with only 3.33% undecided. Thuggery and hoodlumism activities are also prevalent in the research area, according to 3.33%, while 91.66% disagree and 1.66% are undecided. This table graphically demonstrates that the sorts of insecurity suffered by the residents of the research region included the damage of farms, kidnapping of people for ransom or murder of the victim, and uncommon robberies. The study reviewed that Mr fatai aborode , a notorius  large scale farmer was kidnapped December 2020 and brutally murdered by herdsmen. Likewise, a business woman whose on Janary 2021 in her petrol station kidnapped and shot dead.

Plate 1.3 Destruction of farm land by Herdsmen, Source: Field survey 2023.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the prevalence of security-related problems in Ibarapa North Local Government, Oyo State, is a serious issue that needs to be addressed right away. The Community has suffered armed robberies, kidnappings, and farmer-herding disputes, among other types of insecurity. These tragedies not only caused the loss of lives and property but also created tension and dread among the locals.s

It is clear that combating insecurity calls for a multifaceted strategy combining the government, security services, local authorities, and the citizens themselves. Security infrastructure should be improved, police presence should be increased, and law enforcement organizations’ intelligence gathering powers should be strengthened. To effectively address concerns related to insecurity, cooperation between local authorities and security organizations is essential.

It’s also critical to address the underlying causes of insecurity. The susceptibility of people and communities to criminal activity can be influenced by problems like poverty, unemployment, and a lack of social amenities. Therefore, Ibarapa North Local Government inhabitants need socioeconomic development programs that generate employment opportunities, reduce poverty, and supply basic necessities.

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Boost law enforcement: The local police force and other security organizations should receive enough funding, support, and tools from the government. This entails hiring more people, setting up police stations in important areas, and enhancing coordination and communication amongst security agencies.
2. Improve community policing: Locals should take a leading role in safeguarding the safety of their communities. In order to gather information, prevent crimes, and permit prompt action in case of emergencies, neighborhood watch organizations should be encouraged to form, and the police and the community should work closely together.
3. Enhance intelligence gathering: To identify and apprehend criminal elements, the government should invest in intelligence-gathering systems. This can be accomplished by implementing contemporary monitoring technology, enabling local residents In order to gather information, prevent crimes, and permit prompt action in case of emergencies, neighborhood watch organizations should be encouraged to form, and the police and the community should work closely together.
4. Focusing on socioeconomic development is necessary to address the root causes of insecurity. Programs should be put in place by the government to increase employment prospects, expand access to high-quality healthcare, education, and other necessities, and lower poverty levels in local government areas.
5. Negotiation and conflict resolution: The main cause of insecurity in the region has been farmer-herder conflicts. Through the development of methods for resolving disputes, involving community leaders, and enacting laws that support sustainable land use practices, the government should foster communication and peaceful cohabitation between farmers and herders.
6. Civic education and public awareness initiatives are required to inform citizens about security measures, crime prevention techniques, and the value of intercommunal cooperation. Town hall meetings, workshops, and media campaigns can be used to accomplish this and make sure that everyone in the neighborhood is aware and actively takes part in efforts to prevent insecurity.

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