Drug Abuse and Crime among Youths: The Bane of South Eastern Nigeria

Abstract

Drug abuse and crime among youths are prevalent in South East Nigeria. Drug-related crimes committed in the region include burglary, cultism, murder, armed robbery, arson, rape, kidnapping, vandalism and ritual killing. Social analysts have identified, among others, the general decline in the promotion and observance of high moral and social values, peer pressure, youth unemployment, over-exposure to social media enticements, and sheer idleness, as some of the major reasons why drug abuse and crime among youths are the bane of South Eastern Nigeria. The paper is anchored on the attribution theory developed by Firtz Heider in 1958 and adopted library research as secondary data. The researcher also investigated the factors influencing drug abuse and crime among the youths in the South East. To control the spread of drug abuse among youths in the region, and crimes associated with it, the paper recommends the following: introduction of a massive anti-drug abuse and anti-crime awareness programmes in schools and the media; intensification or introduction of drug education programme in the school system, especially in tertiary institutions, in order to enlighten youths on the adverse effects of drug abuse.