The article explores the lived experiences of investigative police officers in managing rape and serious sexual offences (RASSO) in Nigeria, a developing country with a conservative patriarchal system and deep-rooted rape culture. A qualitative study involving 24 sexual crime-investigating police officers of six states' police commands in southwest Nigeria was conducted, and a thematic analysis of the narratives was carried out. Findings indicated police efforts at addressing RASSO are constrained by inadequate resources, deficiencies in personnel skilled in RASSO investigation, lack of specialist training, and low motivational incentives. Participants reported problematic interactions with RASSO victims and made comments that communicated their acceptance of rape myths, including beliefs surrounding victim culpability and false reporting. The study suggested the reimagining of police strategies at improving rape investigations by deploying specialist approaches to policing RASSO. Deploying specialism will require engaging officers with knowledge and skills in investigating rape cases, better engagement with the victims, specialist training, and addressing rape script acceptance among sexual crime detectives.

Given the exceptional situation occasioned by an unprecedented health crisis, countries adopted extraordinary measures to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The enforcement of these measures has significantly resulted in human rights violations of various forms. This study draws from the Nigerian case to explore incidents of arbitrary arrests and detention of those adjudged by the police to have violated the lockdown rules. Using a victim-centered approach, 32 interviews with people arrested and detained by the police for contravening COVID-19 lockdown rules were conducted, and a thematic analysis of the narratives was carried out. Findings indicated that participants were arrested and detained in police cells for breaking stay-at-home rules largely for extortive purposes. In the process of arrests and detention, they endured physical and psychological abuses, were exposed to the risk of contracting COVID-19, and suffered economic extortions. Practical and policy implications were provided to enhance police legitimacy.

Previous studies posited that survivors of rape receive better treatment from the police when advocates are involved and the police embrace collaboration. However, the collaborative relationship between the Nigerian police and rape victim advocates has yet to receive scholarly attention. To address this, a qualitative study was conducted, with 24 police officers of sexual offense units in six Police Commands, and 50 rape victim advocates from 28 advocacy groups. A thematic analysis of the narratives was carried out. Findings indicated problematic police-advocate collaboration in the process of reporting, interviewing, investigating, and prosecuting rape cases. Advocates stated that officers exhibited rape myth acceptance. Officers stated that advocates often display aggressive approaches in interfering with interviews, are ignorant of police procedures, and often wrongly accuse officers of corrupt practices. These findings have important practical, policy, and further research implications if criminal justice efficiencies and ideal victim support services are to be achieved.

This study brings to the fore, insights into three key factors that had been widely noted to play significant roles in driving effective pandemic policing. These are the preparedness of the police as first responders to a public health crisis, the level of public trust in the police as a legitimate power holder, and community engagement as a tool to drive public support and participation in fighting COVID-19. Using the Nigeria police as a case study, with the damning reports of abuse of power and other misconduct, this study examined how the police responded to COVID-19 mandates and community participation. Interviews with 40 police officers who enforced the COVID-19 lockdown, 16 senior police officers, and 18 community leaders within Lagos and Ogun states were conducted, and a thematic analysis of the narratives was carried out. Findings indicated that community engagement was not effectively deployed by the Nigerian police in the course of pandemic policing. This was due to a lack of police preparedness, over-reliance on the use of force for public control, public distrust in the police, and a lack of prior practice of community engagement by the police. Public distrust in the police was found to be central to peoples’ disobedience to COVID-19 rules which worsened police-community relations, culminating in protests against the police and its formations. These findings have important policy and practical implications if police legitimacy and post-COVID police-community relations are to improve.

To date, literature on vulnerabilities of children and prevention of child sexual abuse (CSA) has relied on the contributions of child-care professionals, health practitioners, and other social workers, excluding police officers. The purpose of this study is to draw on the experiences and expert opinions of police officers in exploring the vulnerabilities of children to sexual abuse and prescribing preventive measures. Officers' engagement is premised on their collaborative work with social service agents in improving responses to crimes of violence against children. This qualitative study was conducted with 24 police detectives of the sexual offenses units in the six zonal police commands of southwest Nigeria. From the thematic analysis of their narratives, findings indicated a link between socio-cultural and religious beliefs and children's exposure to sexual abuse. Participants indicated believe that there is a growing number of men who are preferentially or solely sexually attracted to prepubescent females. In addressing CSA, participants suggested a specialist approach to policing CSA, abolition of child marriage, community engagement in CSA policing, and legal instrumentations to govern socio-cultural practices. The study invite research that triangulates the perspectives of parents, community elders, and religious leaders in communities where considerable incidents of CSA have been reported.

The global calls for the decriminalisation of suicide have been intense, leading to several countries repealing laws against suicide and suicidal behaviour. However, this opened up a gap in knowledge on suicide policing in countries that maintained statutes penalising suicide. Drawing from the case of Nigeria, one of the countries where attempted suicide attracts prison sentences, this study explored the opinions and experiences of police officers as regards the criminalisation of suicide and enforcement of anti-suicide laws. Sixty-four (64) suicide investigating police officers in six zonal commands of the Nigeria Police Force were engaged in a qualitative study under an interpretative paradigm. Participants reported negative perceptions of anti-suicide laws and policing of suicide through communities' display of lack of belief, low level of trust, lukewarm or negative attitudes, uncooperative postures, and low level of support. The study sample held that the anti-suicide laws are not effective in the country as evidenced by the low rate of apprehensions and convictions, despite increasing figures of suicide mortality. The study findings highlighted the need for the Nigerian government to consider the decriminalisation of attempted suicide and be more responsive to socioeconomic factors driving the increase in suicide in the country.

Indeed, the underreporting of suicides and misclassification of causes of death has been acknowledged as a serious global concern among scholars and policymakers, especially in low and middle-income countries (LMIC). While studies have identified the criminal status of suicide as a factor responsible for the low reporting of suicide cases in Nigeria, religious and sociocultural underpinnings of suicide reporting have been ignored. This study, therefore, explores the social interpretations and cultural practices involved in handling suicide cases in 30 selected communities in southwest Nigeria. This is to unravel how these practices impact suicide reporting in the selected region. Purposive sampling was used to reach out to 90 traditional rulers, religious priests, and opinion leaders in the selected communities. The narratives of the study participants revealed that suicide is socially perceived as an abominable way to die, a revolt against one’s destiny, and a protest against the gods. Communities are in awe of the spiritual import of suicide deaths, which often informs the harsh treatment of bodies of suicide victims and secondary victimization of bereaved families, with implications for suicide reporting. The study suggests aligning cultural practices with the formal methods of handling suicide.

Indeed, appreciable number of researches has been conducted to facilitate relevant insights about the aetiology of child sexual offending in Nigeria; however, the understanding of the origins and causes of sexually abusive behaviour perpetrated against minors in the country remains rudimentary. This present study examined the psychosocial and psychosexual histories of offenders and presented the accounts, excuses and apologies of child sexual offenders. Drawing on the Integrated Theory of Sexual Offending (ITSO), explanations of adults’ sexual attraction towards the underage, mode of operation and events leading to sexual abuse of the children were investigated. Qualitative analysis of official demographic and offence history data, and in-depth interviews of 29 purposively selected offenders in Ikoyi, Kirikiri Medium and Kirikiri Maximum Prisons, Lagos revealed that a combination of developmental experiences, biological processes, cultural norms, emotional arrest, psychological vulnerability, and sociological inadequacies are responsible for onset of abusive behaviour towards children. The excuses of the offenders for their abusive behaviour hinged on unfulfilled sexual needs, drug influence, ignorance of the law, impulse disorder, alcohol, senility, the urge to feel in control and powerful or the identification with young children as a result of arrested emotional development. The study concludes that the factors that accounts for child sexual abuse in Nigeria are multidimensional, hence, singular factorial theories may fail to effectively expose the aetiology of sexual abuse of the underage in the country. There is need for concerted efforts to be directed towards addressing the problem of objectification and sexual violence against children in the country.Keywords: Accounts, Apologies, Excuses, Child Sexual Abuse, Juvenile Sex Offenders

Criminologists have long been interested in sex work, particularly prostitution.However, the research in this area has been very uneven and has largely ignored thevictimisation suffered by residents of the neighbourhoods where sex work is practiced.This study moves beyond the position of feminists that holds that sex workersthemselves are the victims of sex trade and some other criminologists that opines thatsex work is ‘victimless’ to explore the experience of residents of neighbourhoods wheresex work activities thrives. Drawing from social disorganisation and social learningtheories, an analytical cross-sectional survey of 57 residents of neighbourhoods thatharbour sex workers and sex work within the city of Ibadan was done.The study foundthat the business of sex work comes with huge moral panic to the neighbourhood whereit thrives. There is high risk perception, vulnerability to violence, and adverse effects onfamily life on residents.In particular, parental responsibilities in bringing up childrenin such neighbourhoods are made cumbersome. The study concludes that inhabitants ofred light areas are exposed to a lot of adverse incidences that bothers on their physicalhealth, psychological wellbeing, sexual health, religious and family lives. Suggestionswere made thatappropriate authorities should be more sensitive to the plight of theyoung population that grows within the red light districts in the country and regulatethe activities of the sex workers in such a way that it will not negatively impact onpositive development of the youths-the voiceless victims.Keywords: Commercial sex work, Ibadan, Prostitution, Red light districts, VictimlessCrimes

Controversies have continued to trail the adoption and use of plea bargaining in the criminal justice administration in Nigeria, particularly in prosecuting high profile corruption cases.This paper interrogated the pros and cons of its application by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to recover looted funds from high profile corrupt public officials.Leaning heavily on sociological school, which emphasizes the relationship between law and the needs and institutions of the society, the article explored various schools of thought in law as regards the conceptualisation of plea bargaining, theoretical underpinnings of the emergence, adoption and the implication of its use on Nigeria's drive towards ensuring equality before the law.The selective use of plea bargaining in the country is adjudged to be counterproductive and inimical to the country's quest for social justice.

The life styles associated with people in the same class categories include, among other things, particularly orientations to manners, speech, clothing styles, education and especially, ‘Success’. There is a tendency for people with similar styles to participate together in both formal and informal groups, to marry one another, and to choose activities that reflect their similar value orientations. Social stratification draws attention to the unequal positions occupied by individuals in society. Social inequality is found in all societies. Therefore, this paper is to examine social stratification, life chances in relation to indigenous capitalist class in Nigeria. This study will be guided by the Weberian perspective of social stratification. Keywords: Social Stratification, Indigenous Capitalist Class, Life Chances, Social Inequality and Social Mobility

The issue of Juvenile delinquency is becoming polemical and widespread. Delinquency prevention are either unfitted to deal with the present happenings or do not exist. Most of the emerging countries have established some mechanisms to deal with this problem, and international programmes are evidently inadequate. Even where programmes are in place, the mechanism are always inadequate to address the multiple ways in which these children must be assisted. This article assessed factors influencing delinquent behaviours and the effective ways of rehabilitating young offenders. Building on this premise, the article reviewed relevant literatures on juvenile delinquency and its prevention measures. As evident in the literature and discussion in this article, juvenile offenders, as labelled individuals, are hampered by social conditions and support that are required to enhance their recovery, constructive behaviour and full rehabilitation. As juvenile delinquency is not caused by a single factor, its prevention and treatment should not be limited to a single factor. The interaction between the offender and significant others before, during and after the act of deviation, is important to the overall prevention of delinquency. Therefore, it is important that prevention and treatment of juvenile must be appropriate to the offender’s age, gender, ethnicity, social circumstances and culture. Punitive measures should be discouraged while individualised treatment oriented measures should be encouraged.

This paper reviews the concept refugees, the survival strategies used by the refugees, international organizations and the host government’s efforts to integrate the displaced people fully into the new environment, which they were forced to. The paper also argues that refugees’ existence has stretched the basic facilities which was inadequate, even the male role-set has been affected negatively while women still carry out their normal activities. But for survival and stability, there is need for a special policy thrust that would pave way for ensuring adaptive mechanism. The refugees stationed at Ijebu- Oru in Ogun State were studied; this camp was used because it offers wider coverage to the study when compared to Maiduguri camp. A sample of 210 was drawn from the total population .Interviewing and questionnaire methods were the major instrument used for this study. The result of the study pointed to the fact that a significant numbers of the refugees depend on the provisions and allowances from Nigerian Commission for Refugees (NCFR), United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and International Red Cross; though few of them involved in self-help projects to supplement refugees needs. The paper then concludes that the refugees need additional assistance in terms of empowerment that will pave for integration and full adaptive style. Key words : Refugees, Survival Strategy, Displacement, Resettlement, Rehabilitation, Integration