American International Journal of Social Science

Nigeria and the Incidences of Homicide
Ethelbert Okey Lawrence

Abstract
Homicide is the killing of an individual by another. This grievous act has been frowned at from history. It is unfortunate that this barbaric act can be associated with Hobbes’ “State of nature” which every society tries to prevent and control to ensure the continuous existence of humanity within the context of the sense of security. Drawing largely from secondary sources, this paper seeks to examine the incidences of homicide in Nigeria. The paper is divided into nine subtopics consisting of: Introduction; definition; homicide typology; homicide mechanisms; criminal justice system and cases of homicide; prevention and control of homicide; conclusion; and recommendation based on the findings. It is suggested that improvement in police resources would add immensely to its effective management of homicide, while quick dispensation of justice by the courts among others would go a long way in reducing prison over crowdedness in Nigeria due to the prevalence of awaiting trials, while propping up prison rehabilitation activities is believed would reduce recidivism which will correspond to reduce incidences of homicides. The findings from this work are believed would enlighten the general public on the need to join efforts to ensure that homicide is reduced to its barest limit.

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