Hard drugs: Element for robbery , criminality
With Saliu Woru Mohammed
Continued from last Monday
Another faction by some people that is responsible for the worrisome armed robbery cases at this period is the influence of uncontrolled of circulation of drug, or rather the consumption of hard drugs. There is no gain saying that certain drugs in circulation, if consumed provided necessary inputs to criminally minded elements, not only to engage in violent crime commission, but to also enjoy the ungodly act of snuffing, live out of innocent citizens (victims). It is not then amazing that most of the armed robbers are known to be drug addicts.
Also, most social critics and social analysts have argued that incidence of armed robbery rampaging the society are e traceable to the issue of unemployment. People argued that an idle hand or mind is indeed a ready tool as the devil’s workshop.
In other word, an unemployed person is prone to commit all sorts of crime; it is further argued that the level of unemployment in the nation no doubt has a negative impact on the rate of criminal activity generally in the country. Criminal rewards available however indicate much as we have many unemployed persons getting involved in armed robbery, most other violent crimes are people who are actually gainfully employed but only through sheer greediness are involved in all sorts of criminality.
Whatever is the argument, it is not justifiable for an unemployed person to hide under the issue of unemployment and engaged in any crime, other identifiable factor responsible for armed robbery incidence is influx of aliens or culture, foreign films and indeed unnecessary display of wealth and affluence by people during ceremony or occasion which is of cause capable of tempting criminals. As if this is not enough, some schools of thoughts attributed causes of armed robbery incidence to the recruitment of wrong hands into the law enforcement agencies.
Delay of dispensation of justice by judicial officials, the school of thought alleged that delay in trial of armed robbery suspects including unnecessary adjournment in courts and sometime commensurable punishments were not been handed down to the convicts are also responsible in nutshell, court judgement failed to serve as deterrent to others. It is believed that justice delayed is justice denied, while justice rush can also be dangerous.
All said and done, I want to submit with all sense of responsibility that no matter how argument goes, the underline factor responsible for the present cases of armed robbery with its attendant to human lives and property is desperate urge for material wealth at whatever price and in whatever way and manner. No doubt, it is this unassailable urge and desire that developed into violent ideas which result into armed robbery.