VANDALIZATION OF PUBLIC/PRIVATE PROPERTY BY YOUTHS: IMPLICATIONS ON SECURITY IN SOUTHERN SENATORIAL DISTRICT OF TARABA STATE, NIGERIA.

The provision of adequate security is a social necessity for the smooth running of every society. The foremost social problem inhibiting security and developmental progress in Nigeria over the decades is the considerable increased rate of criminal activities among youths. Vandalization is one of the most popular crimes committed by youths in contemporary Nigerian society. This paper examined the repeated vandalization of public/private properties as a dimension of criminal activity among youths and its implication on security in the Southern Senatorial District of Taraba State, Nigeria. The study was hinged on the Routine Activity Theory (1979) and Merton’s Social Structure and Anomie Theory (1968). The study used qualitative method of data collection based on secondary data to explore the root causes and implications of vandalization among youths. Findings revealed that youths are largely involved in vandalization and other crimes majorly as a result of lack of supervision by parents, ineffectiveness of security agencies, unemployment and religious intolerance. This has given rise to insecurity of lives and property of citizens. The study recommended that a multi-pronged approach is needed to curb the menace of vandalization in Nigeria, which include among others addressing socio-economic and political factors such as unemployment, ethnicity, poverty, etc. through skills acquisition and increased funding towards alternative means of subsistence by government like farming, rearing of animal and others. There should be a ban on the activities of scavengers popularly called ‘baban bola’. Lastly, community-based security frameworks should be strengthened to tackle cases of vandalization.