VIEW POBy Charles Nwabardi
The Oxford Dictionary defines Slum as a squalid and overcrowded urban district inhabited by very poor people. However, the purpose of this write-up is not for an assessment of the dwellers of the slums but to try to unravel the correlation between some of the Slum dwellers and crime.
Truly, there are slums in most cities in Nigeria just like many famous cities all over the world. In the foremost commercial city of Nigeria, Lagos, there are Ajagunle, Amukoko, Badia, Bariga, Makoko, Mushin to mention but a few. In Pakistan, slums are there-Orange, Munchar Colony and so on.
USA is not also left out when Slums are mentioned. In New York, parts of Harlem, East New York including some parts of Bushwick were Slums up to the 1980s. To buttress my facts, James Keenly, an Educator says this about Slums in New York: “I moved here in 1984, a time when there were Areas that might be called ‘Slums’- Neighbourhood and Areas that were bleak and improverished with little or no job opportunities, high crime…”
As a Media Professional, I’ve visited Lagos, Asaba, Warri Slums out of curiosity and my observation was mind-bugling. People live in abject poverty in most of these Slums. Life depriving factors trail very many of them who live in shanties that cover every place because they could not afford better a shelter. That is why in Slums business and other activities go on 24 hours and dwellers are happy since most people there are homeless.
It is in the Slums that all illicit commercial activities take place. The deals range from sale of Indian hemp, hard drugs and trading on stollen goods. Moreover, most dare devil criminals take cover there. They go out to the City, operate and run back to their enclave in the Slums.
When the Slum in Abraka was demolished not long ago by the Delta State Capital Development Agency, there were discovery of illegally acquired sofisticated arms and a munitions concealed in some occupied Shanties there. In addition, the shanties at the former Toll gate before Onitsha head bridge from Delta State Axis were distroyed because of incessant criminal activities there. The security operatives in any city cannot tell the story of crimes without beaming their searchlights on the Slums.
In the quest to reduce crime in Nigeria, the security operatives, police, DSS, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and private Security Organizations must redirect their focus on the Slums in Nigeria.
The greatest strategy should be intelligent Information gathering approach, fighting trading on hard drugs and tactical participatory observation. If these are pursued committedly, nipping crimes in the bud will be facilitated which in turn will reduce crime incidences on innocent Nigerians.