Urbanisation and Crime in Nigeria

This book uses crime-science and traditional criminological approaches to explore urban crime in the rapidly urbanising country Nigeria, as a case study for urban crime in developing nations. In Africa’s largest democracy, rapid unmanaged growth in its cities combined with decaying public infrastructure mean that risk factors accumulate and deepen the potential for urban crime. This book includes a thorough explanation of key concepts alongside an examination of the contemporary configuration, dynamics, dimensions, drivers and potential responses to urban crime challenges. The authors also discuss a range of methodological techniques and applications that can be used, including spatial technologies to generate new data for analysis. It brings together history, theory, trends, patterns, drivers, repercussions and responses to provide a deep analysis of the challenges that confront urban dwellers. Urbanisation and Crime in Nigeria offers academics, researchers, governments, civil society organisations, citizens, and international partners a tool with which to engage in a serious dialogue about crime within cities, based on evidence and good practices from inside and outside sub-Saharan Africa.

Adegbola Ojo is Senior Lecturer in Urban Geography & Applications of Big Data, and Director of Teaching and Learning at the School of Geography, University of Lincoln, UK. His research focuses on the understanding and representation of the socio-economic and spatial intricacies of population behaviour within the framework of interdisciplinary studies, population and urban geography, quantitative social science and computer modelling.

Oluwole Ojewale is a public policy researcher and global development worker with experiences in governance, advocacy, community resilience, human and environmental security. He works with a broad range of stakeholders on programmes such as: accountable governance for justice and security; national survey on election and democracy; preventing and countering violent extremism projects. He heads the research and strategy development unit at CLEEN Foundation, Nigeria.

“This book on Urbanisation and Crime in Nigeria is the first comprehensive book on the intersection between urbanisation and crime in Nigeria. It offers theoretical and empirical explanations of the factors within the urban environments in Nigeria that shape and are shaped by crime. Scholars and students of criminology, urban sociology, and social geography will benefit from reading the book.” (Etannibi Alemika, Professor of Criminology and Sociology of Law, University of Jos, Jos, Nigeria)

“Urbanisation and Crime in Nigeria is a most timely and hugely important work that chronicles how crime in emerging cities of fast-growing developing nations can be better understood, managed and controlled. Incisive, deft and innovative, this book intelligently pulls together diverse big data sources to critically expand scholarship in an innovative and accessible way. The authors illustrate how spatial thinking and analysis is essential to solving urban criminogenic problems and generating insight for strategic and operational decision-making. The book is a “must read” for leaders of cities across our world, urban and rural planning practitioners, students, academics and everyone working towards a safer and more secure human society.” (Paul Olomolaiye, Professor of Construction Engineering and Management, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean of the Faculty of Environment and Technology, University of the West of England, Bristol, United Kingdom)

“This book is a bold attempt to discuss the nexus between urbanisation and crime. The authors assume that crimes can be understood through ‘environmental determinism’ or better still ‘architectural determinism’, which claims that the built environment is the chief or even sole determinant of social behaviour. The question is: can we say that urbanization or urban development is the sole determinant of crime? In writing this new book, the authors are implicitly calling for a revisit of the subject matter. While urbanisation as the sole cause of crime is not proven, nevertheless, the causes of crime can be attributed to several socio-economic factors which the authors dubbed ‘crime precipitators’ such as poverty, poor parental upbringing, manipulation by politicians, unemployment, failure of the criminal system, ineffective policing etc. Certainly, both authors have opened up a new debate on the subject matter that is going to appeal to readers and researchers.” (Johnson Bade Falade, Professor of Geography and Regional Planning, Former UN-Habitat Programme Manager for Nigeria and MD/CEO, Gotosearch.Com Ltd, Lagos, Nigeria)