Police, NGO partner to ‘reduce rate of juvenile crimes’ in Nigeria

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the Centre for Family Peace, a non-governmental organisation, have partnered to tackle the increasing rate of crimes among juveniles in the country.

Olukayode Egbetokun, the inspector-general of police (IGP), announced the partnership at the inauguration of the steering committee on the implementation and execution of the annual I-G conference on juvenile crime prevention and control project in Abuja on Friday.

The theme of the maiden edition of the conference was ‘Effective family relationship strategies for juvenile crime prevention and control.’

Mohammed Dankwara, the assistant inspector-general of police (AIG) in charge of the force criminal investigation department (FCID), represented Egbetokun at the conference.

He said the police are aware of the devastating effect of crimes perpetrated by teenagers, juveniles, or adolescents on communities across the country.

The IGP acknowledged the urgent need for a comprehensive approach and concerted efforts and commitments to address the root causes of behavioural problems among young people.

“There is a consensus among family and child development experts that the cause of juvenile offences is the family,” he said.

“Hence, the solution to the problem can be found in the family too.

“This official inauguration of the conference signals the commencement of the implementation of this novel project, aimed at preventing juvenile crime and promoting positive development of young people in Nigeria.

“To deliver this conference project, there will be a need for collaboration with the different extra-familial institutions like government at all levels and their agencies, the church, the school, and the media.”

He appealed to members of the steering committee to “take the assignment very seriously to deliver positive outcomes that would arrest the ugly trend of juvenile crime”.

Chinedum Ikogwe, the executive director and founder of the NGO, said the project was born out of the need to address the challenges of crime and criminality among juveniles.

Ikogwe blamed the rising crime rate among juveniles on the failure of parents to dedicate time to upbringing of their wards.

He said the project will be taken to the 36 states of the federation.