Neoliberal state and criminal activities in Nigeria

ABSTRACT This paper argues that the failure of neoliberal economic policies in Nigeria leads to increasing spate of criminal activities in the country. It explains how such neoliberal economic policies like privatisation, removal of state subsidies and deregulation cripple pre-existing substructure of the Nigerian economy; thereby increasing criminal activities everywhere in Nigeria. While criminal activities are closely associated with neoliberal states, privatisation and deregulation have facilitated the creation of huge unemployed labour by crippling existing industries and local ingenuity which explains the level of economic marginalisation and the stagnant pool characterised by abject poverty in Nigeria. While the state and its allies struggle to maintain their unpopular economic policies by all means, the victims and the unemployed find expression in criminal activities. The study uses mixed methods of data collection and analysis made up of descriptive statistics and content analysis.