THE CHALLENGES OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY IN A RELIGIOUS NIGERIAN NATION

The persistent increase in the rate of juvenile crimes in Nigeria and the abysmal failure by the diverse religious institutes to curb this problem have constituted a serious barrier to the country’s economic development since many young ones who epitomizes the nation’s future are enmeshed in moral decadence. Although the subject of juvenile delinquency is an age long problem, it seems that the juvenile delinquency of the past cannot be evaluated with that of the present era in Nigeria. The situation must however be understood against the backdrop of the flaws in fostering a genuine ethical cum religious teachings on the young ones by the diverse religious institutions that scattered across the country. The challenges of juvenile delinquency in Nigeria cannot be effectively discussed without highlighting the probable social costs of this endemic disease to Nigerian nation. Most uncurbed delinquencies has in recent times developed into violent crimes which the evidence is manifested in the activities of bombing by the boko haram sect and other violent groups in Nigeria. A nation with high religious profile and proliferation of churches and mosques ought to produce less delinquent children consequent upon the fact that religion encompasses sound religious indoctrination and ethical teachings which enthrones moral uprightness in the young ones. However, the most bothering questions that this research wants to solve are as follows; Why must there still be high rate of juvenile delinquency amidst many religious institutions in Nigeria? Why is the role of ethics in dealing with this delinquency problem being relegated? Can religion and ethical principles provide a possible solution to ameliorate this juvenile delinquency? What actually is the subject of juvenile crime and what popular theories including modernization surround it? When these question are not attended carefully, delinquent of today would certainly become the criminal of tomorrow. The aim of this research is to provide a lasting solution to the challenges of juvenile delinquency in Nigeria especially when the country is religiously increasing day by day and to draw back the attention of different religion in Nigeria on their places of loop holes. Qualitative research methodology which aims to gather an in-depth understanding of the concept and reasons that governs such idea was used in this work. It produces information through exploration only on the particular cases studied.