TITLE PAGE INCREASING WAVE OF VIOLENT CRIMES IN ABIA STATE: THE ROLE OF THE CHURCH BY UDEAGHA, NDUKA REG NO: PG/MA/09/51984 DEPARTMENT OF RELIGION AND CULTURAL STUDIES FACULTY OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCES UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA DECEMBER, 2011 i REQUIREMENT PAGE INCREASING WAVE OF VIOLENT CRIMES IN ABIA STATE: THE ROLE OF THE CHURCH BY UDEAGHA, NDUKA REG. NO.: PG/MA/09/51984 A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF RELIGION AND CULTURAL STUDIES, FACULTY OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF MASTER DEGREE IN RELIGION AND CULTURAL STUDIES SUPERVISOR: REV. PROF. AGHA UKA AGHA DECEMBER, 2011 ii APPROVAL PAGE This dissertation has been supervised and approved as meeting the requirement for the award of Master of Arts (M. A.) in religion and Cultural Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. ...................................................... .......................................................... REV. PROF. AGHA UKA AGHA REV. DR. EZECHI ANYA ITUMA SUPERVISOR HEAD OF DEPARTMENT DATE................................................ DATE............................................... .............................................................. EXTERNAL EXAMINER DATE............................................................ iii CERTIFICATION We hereby certify that the candidate, Udeagha Nduka with registration number; PG/MA/09/51984, has duly completed his Master of Arts (M.A.) dissertation. ........................................... .................................................... SUPERVISOR HEAD OF DEPARTMENT iv DECLARATION I, Udeagha Nduka, a post-graduate student of the Department of Religion and Cultural Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, with Registration Number: PG/MA/09/51984, have satisfactorily completed the entire requirement for the award of Master of Arts(M.A.) Degree in Religion and Cultural studies. The work embodied in this project report is original and has not been submitted in part or full for any other Diploma or Degree of this or any other University. ......................................... ....................................................... SUPERVISOR HEAD OF DEPARTMENT v DEDICATION PAGE This project work is dedicated to God the Father, who has lavished me with divine and dependable love; to my Christ Jesus, who has redeemed me with his blood, extravagant grace and mercy; and to the Holy Spirit, who has been my divine teacher, inspiration and intuition. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In continuous pursuance of my academic objectives, I have incurred a backlog of debts that worth proper acknowledgement. In tandem with this, I am deeply indebted to my supervisor, Rev. Prof. Agha U. Agha, whose supervisory assistance and stimulating suggestions have encouraged me throughout the duration of this programme, and helped in putting flesh to bone. He and other academic members of the Department especially, Prof. M. I. Okwueze, Prof. C.O.T. Ugwu, Rev. Fr. Dr. H. C. Achunike , Ven. Dr. B.C.D. Diara and Dr. Mrs. A.B. Okoli, have guided and given me the right nudge in the right direction; never accepting anything less than my best efforts. I thank them all. I have been particularly heartened and gladdened by the deep-seated interest of Prof. and Mrs N. O. Ogbonnaya in my academic attainments. I thank them for the availability of their resources and even going the extra mile with incredible goodwill. They have contributed in no small measure in making my voyage in the ‘Den of Lions’ a huge and resounding success; special thanks to them. The synergy of academic intercourse between my colleagues and I has been helpful and fruitful. I thank Nwama; for her unremitting willingness to assist, Maxism; for his suggestions, I enjoyed unfettered access to his materials and ‘system’, Onyenaucheya; for always stretching out a helping hand and dropping valuable hints. Madam Nneka, Happiness, Chinedu (Pastor) and Victor, at different times offered useful suggestions for improvement. More especially to my family and friends, words cannot express what I owe them, for their love understanding and assistance. Their encouragement enabled me to complete this programme. Chief among these is my mother, Madam Annah Ogbu Onuoha (Nwanyi Jisos) her unequalled love, unmatched concern and unseasoned prayers over me are simply overwhelming. Uche, Ijeoma, Kelechi, Nkechi, Ucha are equally acknowledged for their love and deep interest in my well being. Asogu, Chimdinma, Chinyerem, Chinemerem vii (Korokotom), Chinomnso (Chairman), Ojukwu, Chidiebere, Akudo, Nnamdi(Driver) have all been unstinting in their support, prayers and encouragements. I would personally consider it a mistake of magnitude proportions, if I fail to acknowledge and extend my heartfelt gratitude to scholars and writers from whose works I derived insightful perceptions. I by no means make claim to be comprehensive. But the multiple references made to their works, speak volume of my indebtedness. As for God, who makes all things possible, words in print can hardly convey the content of my mind. Thus despite the initial diversionary hiccups that greeted and attended this project, it has turned out to be a fait accompli. In God is my glory. Udeagha Nduka Department of Religion and Cultural Studies , Faculty of the Social Sciences. University of Nigeria Nsukka. December, 2011. viii ABSTRACT The search light of this research is beamed on the increasing wave of violent crime in Abia State. The intentness is to highlight and underscore the role of the church as a fundamental institution for inculcating principles and virtues of proper moral conduct as well as foremost agent of social welfare and human development. This has been done by approaching the research in an objective and orderly systematic manner. In fashioning the approach, primary and secondary sources of data collection and observational technique were mostly explored in an analytical manner for circumspection and objectivity. The findings have laid bare the fact that the most devastating social problem challenging peace, security and human development in Abia is the increasing wave of violent crime, which assumed terrifying and horrifying dimensions in 2009, when kidnapping was added to crime equation in the state. And the violent crime epidemic has a lot to do with the living conditions of the people, waning and wobbling moral and ethical system, general inefficient and ineffective leadership. This research will therefore, provide valuable information with regard to the role of the church in the face of these criminal activities. It will provoke and ginger the church to stand to its toes, synergize and assist the state in administering adequate dose of liberation from the menace. It will provide insight for imperative paradigm shift that will assure a quantum leap for the people. This is because no society can really make its economic and political headways, when the ingredients of peace, harmony and social development are conspicuously lacking as witnessed in Abia. No doubt peace is the sin-qua-non to meaningful development. ix TABLE OF CONTENTS Title page -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- i Requirement page ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ii Approval page --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- iii Certification ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- iv Declaration ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ v Dedication ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- vi Acknowledgements --------------------------------------------------------------------------- vii Abstract ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ix Table of contents ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ x Map of Abia State ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- xii CHAPTER ONE Introduction ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1 1.1 Background of the Study ---------------------------------------------------------------- 1 1.2 Background of Abia State --------------------------------------------------------------- 4 1.3 Statement of the problem ---------------------------------------------------------------- 9 1.4 Purpose of the Study --------------------------------------------------------------------- 10 1.5 Research Methodology ------------------------------------------------------------------ 11 1.6 Significance of the Study ---------------------------------------------------------------- 12 1.7 Scope of the Study ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 12 1.8 Definition of Terms ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 13 CHAPTER TWO Literature Review ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16 2.1 Theories of Crime Causation ------------------------------------------------------------ 16 2.2 Concepts of Crime ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 29 2.3 The Nature of Crime in Nigeria -------------------------------------------------------- 32 CHAPTER THREE Major Violent Crimes in Abia State -------------------------------------------------------- 38 3.1 Murder -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------