Issue

Vol. 20 No. 2 (2016): African Sociological Review

4 - A Review of Youth Violence Theories: Developing Interventions to Promote Sustainable Peace in Ilorin, Nigeria

https://doi.org/10.57054/asr.v20i2.3810
Ali Arazeem Abdullahi
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8304-3967
Mariam Seedat-Khan
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9056-2282
Saheed Olanrewaju Abdulrahman
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6966-6474

Corresponding Author(s) : Saheed Olanrewaju Abdulrahman

lanreandrahman@gmail.com

African Sociological Review, Vol. 20 No. 2 (2016): African Sociological Review

Abstract

Ilorin is located in North Central Nigeria with an estimated population above two million
people. For some time now, Ilorin has been regarded as the most “peaceful” State Capital
in the North Central geo-political zone; due to rare outburst of violence and criminality.
However, in the recent past, the peaceful atmosphere of the State Capital has been under serious
threat owing to frequent outburst of youth violence, particularly in socially disadvantaged
neighbourhoods (SDNs). Consequently, youth violence has attracted the attention of policy
makers and stakeholders in the State Capital, thereby occupying an important space in local
discourses. In this paper, we undertake a review of theories of violence to understand the etiology
of youth violence in Ilorin in particular and Nigeria as a whole, and assess the implications
of these theories for developing strategies and policy frameworks for promoting long-lasting,
sustainable peace.

Keywords

Youth violence Relative deprivation Social disorganisation Broken window Ilorin
Ali Arazeem Abdullahi, Mariam Seedat-Khan, & Saheed Olanrewaju Abdulrahman. (2016). 4 - A Review of Youth Violence Theories: Developing Interventions to Promote Sustainable Peace in Ilorin, Nigeria. African Sociological Review, 20(2), 40–60. https://doi.org/10.57054/asr.v20i2.3810
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Author Biographies

Ali Arazeem Abdullahi

School of Social Sciences, Department of Sociology, University of
KwaZuluNatal, Durban, South Africa and Department of Sociology,
University of Ilorin, Nigeria

Mariam Seedat-Khan

I am one of only twenty-five certified clinical sociologists in the world and one of three women in the country accredited and certified by the Association for Applied and Clinical Sociology (AACS). As an academic, practitioner, researcher, teacher, facilitator and a vehement South African I work unswervingly to make the university and its classrooms a better place for all recipients of knowledge. Born in Durban, I emigrated to Canada in the 1980’s and completed high school at Thornlea High in Toronto, I thereafter enrolled at the prestigious York University where I successfully graduated with a degree in Sociology and Political Science. Returning to South Africa following the release of Nelson Mandela, I enrolled for a postgraduate degree at the former University of Natal under the guidance of Mr Geoff Waters and Professor Ari Sitas. Whilst completing my master’s Degree, Professor Fatima Meer from the Institute for Black Research (IBR) played an important role in my mentorship, she began involving me in several of her projects with women in a diverse range of communities at the time. This gave me an exceptional platform to launch my career in Clinical Sociology. I began engaging in research within indigent groups of people, these included street children and women squatters. While waiting for the results of my master’s dissertation, Professor Ari Sitas (Supervisor) encouraged me to take up a six-month contract position in academic development at the University of Witwatersrand. I secured the position and worked closely with Professors Bozzoli and Buhlungu. In 1995, I was head hunted to lead city of Durban Street Children’s Forum. Included in my role at the forum I was tasked with coordinated the first full provincial census of homeless people in the KwaZulu Natal, this formed part of a National census in 1996. Following a successful period at the forum, I was appointed as the Programme Director: Gender and Advocacy at the Institute for Multi-Party Democracy under the leadership of Professor Oscar Dhlomo. During the end of the 1990’s, I sought to leave the political space to explore opportunities in the field on clinical sociology. I accepted an opportunity to become the new Deputy Director at the Centre for Educational and Enterprise Development (CEED). This new role in the field of education and training inspired me to register for her PhD. In 2001, I joined the University of Durban Westville’s Political Science Department under the leadership of Professor Adam Habib. I soon graduated with a doctoral degree from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2006. My research focused on the socialization process of the African girl child post 1994 and my dissertation lead to my first book which is today, widely used as a point of reference by academics, researchers and students both locally and globally. Following a move from Durban to Johannesburg in 2006, I joined the University of Witwatersrand as a contract Lecturer in the Sociology department under the leadership of Professor Buhlungu. Within six months of joining WITS, I along with Professor Buhlungu were offered permanent positions at the University of Johannesburg. This move allowed me to flourish under the guidance of the country’s leading Clinical Sociologist professor Uys. Under her mentorship, I became actively involved in the field of Clinical Sociology, playing an active role both locally and internationally. I am frequently used as an expert in gender, curriculum evaluation, examining, parenting, educational development and human behaviour in the regional and national media. Having presented papers at conferences in South Africa and abroad, I attracted the attention of a leading global sociology scholar Professor Joan Ferrante and publishers Cengage. Alongside Dr Rene Smith (DUT) and Dr Zanetta Jansen (UNISA) we released a pioneering publication. The first of its kind, a uniquely South African textbook, “Sociology: A South African Perspective” was released in December 2016 and it has received national acclaim and support throughout the sociological academic community. A media quote, ‘The book includes the outstanding work of historically marginalized and emerging scholars. This pioneering publication includes contributions from several South African universities - including UKZN, DUT, UNISA, Witwatersrand, UJ, and UFH - making it one of the most inclusive texts, representative of sociologists from all corners of South Africa. Some of the authors are first time contributors while the majority are black women.”

Saheed Olanrewaju Abdulrahman

Department of Sociology, University of Ilorin, Nigeria

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