CRIME MANAGEMENT/PREVENTION IN THE SOCIETY: THE ROLE OF THEATRE FOR DEVELOPMENT ACTIVISTS

Abstract

Many people assume that the high level of crime in Nigeria must have its roots in material conditions, such as poor employment opportunities and shortage of adequately-funded programmes. However, many cannot understand the root causes of crime if they insist on viewing it purely in material terms. At the heart of crime explosion in Nigeria is the absence of adequate parental care and attention to the children being brought into the world. This paper discusses the issue of crime in the society and ties it down to the breakdown of the marriage and family life in Nigeria. The paper discusses fundamental family conditions that lead to the breakdown of marriages and the resultant effects on crime and criminality in the society. The paper concludes by identifying the role theatre activists can play in curbing the menace of family breakdown in order to ensure a society where crimes are kept to the barest minimum level.