NGO Blames Poverty, Unemployment For Rising Crime Rate In Enugu

Country Director/ Executive Director, Global Society for Anti Corruption (GSAC), Mrs Amaka Nweke, has said that poverty and unemployment are responsible for the current rising crime rate by youths in Enugu State.
She said this on Saturday while speaking with journalists in Enugu on the backdrop of upsurge in criminal activities by youths in the State, especially in Enugu, the state capital.
Nweke said that the state government needs to do more in the area of empowerment and provision of meaningful and permanent employment for the youths.
“I can say that the current rise in criminal activities, being perpetrated mostly by youths, is a result of increasing poverty and high rate of youth unemployment in the state.
“Today, in Enugu State, our youths engage in different crimes including cyber crime, phone snatching, and armed robbery among other criminal activities.
“This was not the case in Enugu before now, “ she said.
The anti-corruption crusader said though, her organization does not encourage criminals, it wants governments at all levels to do more on youth employment.
She also said that many youths who engage in cyber crimes can be rehabilitated and made to be more useful to themselves and the state.
“Some of these youths can be rehabilitated while facing prosecution and made to be better citizens because some of them are brilliant youths, who, for one reason or the other, went into crime.
“So, they can be reformed for the good of the society,” she said.
According to her, there is the need for security agents in the state to live up their responsibilities in the area of crime prevention by being proactive instead of being reactive.
“People are taking laws into their hands because in most cases the security agencies are not on hand to react.
“Sometimes, even when you report these cases, not before long you will see the same criminal on the streets again,” she said.
The GSAC director also condemned the recent incident where some Youths in Mmaku Community in Awgu Local Government Area of the state, stripped a widow naked in public for allegedly violating their culture.
“GSAC condemns in totality the action of the youths; it is not only barbaric but shameful and unacceptable in this modern society.
“We will continue to monitor their prosecution until we see that justice is done,” she said.