LEVEL OF CRIMINALITY EXPERIENCED AMONG FARMING HOUSEHOLDS IN AKOKO SOUTHWEST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, ONDO STATE NIGERIA

Abstract

Increasing crime threatens the development of Nigeria and negatively affects every sphere of human security.  A safe space for the rural populace to operate is imperative for agricultural development and food security. This study investigated the level of criminal activities occurrence among farming households in Akoko South Local Government Area, Ondo State. Multistage sampling procedure was used to select 120 household heads using interview schedule. Data on respondents’ socioeconomic characteristics’ and criminal activities experienced were analysed with descriptive statistics like frequency counts, percentages, weighted mean score. Results showed respondents were married (70%), Christian (70%), literate (93.3 %) and male (70%) with mean age and household size of 43.3years and 5.6 persons respectively. Criminal activities identified to be highly prevalent in the area include farmland destruction by grazers (2.73), herdsmen attack (2.70) and farm produce and livestock theft (2.10). Moderately prevalent vices include gangsterism (1.97), destruction of properties (1.93), kidnapping (1.87) and violent fight (1.87) while attempted murder (0.97), manslaughter (0.97) and child stealing (0.83) had low incidence rates in the study area. This shows that farming households suffer more from livelihood related criminal activities, which consequently poses a challenge to their productivity. Hence, the developmental agencies should create job to reduce youth unemployment, increase peace building capacity between Herders and farmers and increase law enforcement presence in rural areas for sustainable production of Agricultural produce.