Role of the Mass Media on the Fight Against Kidnapping in Nigeria
CHAPTER ONE
OBJECTIVES OF STUDY
The major objective of this study is to find out the role of media in fighting and preventing crimes especially kidnapping in Nigeria. This main objective is broken down into the following objectives:
- To ascertain the extent of public awareness of Mass media campaign messages
- To find the public’s attitude towards Mass campaign messages
- To determine the objectivity and reliability of Mass campaign messages
- To find out the content quality of Mass campaign messages
- To find out the factors affecting the effectiveness of Mass campaign messages
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Many research works have been carried out on the effectiveness of media campaigns in crime prevention, but on the international cadre. Only a few number of works were narrowed down to Nigerian perspective. However, we are going to look at both frontiers.
Lagenbacher Mike and Klofas John (2012) took a study on ‘media campaigns and crime prevention: a review of literature’. They found out that most crime prevention programmes and campaigns lack definite or easy identifiable goals. According to them, the campaigns are often times, the brain children politicians who often seek to use programmes to show that they are tough on crime or that they have been effective in tackling crime. (Lab, 2004, p. 3).
But this does not mean that crime prevention campaigns do not affect behaviour. Bowers and Johnson (2003, p. 6) noted that these campaigns affect and change attitudes than behaviour. For a campaign to achieve its purpose of changing behaviour, Lagenbacher and Klofas (2012) asserted that certain questions addressing the name of organisation, their goals, target audience, place of information, and time of information and source of information ought to be asked.
In line with the above, Gori (2012) conforms that knowing the answer to these questions would have more impact on the strength of the community. focus on strengthening communities and making them stronger. Another thing to consider in planning effective campaigns is by establishing a transparent and workable organisational heiracrhy (Kelly, Caputo and Jamieson, 2005).
If these factors are not considered, it may result to a complete waste of resources, increase crime phobia, tamper the image and even health of police and affect the lives of the community members (Barthe, 2006).
In another research carried out by Silverman and Sacco (2003) titled ‘crime prevention through mass media: an evaluation in Canada’, the researchers found out that while campaigns do not affect the behavioural and attitudinal change in people towards crime.
In a similar study, Lurigo and Rosebaum (1991) in thare ieir research on the effects of mass media on crime prevention awareness, attitudes and behaviour: the case of crime stopper, found out that mass media programmes are not working because they do not inform or educate the people about crime prevention and control.
Stapenhurst (2000, p. 6) has a new angle. He noted that effectiveness of media campaign depends on availability and accessibility of information and also media law and ethics. Agreeeing to this, Aiyesimoju (2015) carried out a research on curbing insurgencies in Nigeria: Roles of the media. He looked at the perceptions of media users on media’s approach to information disemmination and how media influence on population can generally curb kidnapping in the nation. His findings showed that the media have been successful in teaching people about ways to prevent continuous crimes, even though, not everyone in the country has access to the information. The recommendation was that the anti-kidnapping messages be multi-lingual according to audience level of literacy and intelligence.
A critical look at these reviews shows that the reviews are limitied basically to campaign planning and attitude and behavioural change. Although this research work also dwelt on attitudinal change, it delved deeper into seeking the public awareness of these campaigns, their content quality, their levels of objectivity and reliability, factors affecting their effectiveness and finally, possible ways they can be improved.
It is expected that this research will make a lot of difference to the existing literatures and also open the eyes of prospective researchers to new angles of study.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Introduction
In this chapter, we would describe how the study was carried out.
Research design
The study employs survey research design According to Osuala (2005), a survey research designs is about people, their opinions, attitudes, motivation and other characteristics.
Sources of Data
The data for this study were generated from two main sources; Primary sources and secondary sources. The primary sources include questionnaire, interviews and observation. The secondary sources include journals, bulletins, textbooks and the internet.
Population of the study
A study population is a group of elements or individuals as the case may be, who share similar characteristics. These similar features can include location, gender, age, sex or specific interest. The emphasis on study population is that it constitute of individuals or elements that are homogeneous in description (Prince Udoyen: 2019). In this study the study population constitute of five states in the South-East- Abia, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi and Imo state. Therefore the population of the study involves all the states that make up the South-East.
The 2015 Nigerian Population count gave the following as the population of these states:
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION OF DATA AND ANALYSIS
DATA PRESENTATION
CHAPTER FIVE
DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Discussion Of Findings
The first research question was to ascertain the extent of public awareness of mass media campaigns against anti-kidnapping among residents in south eastern Nigeria. The result from the analysis showed that a large number of Nigerians are aware of Nigerian security agencies. They also have high degree of access to the media. This means that most Nigerians are informative and security conscious are therefore capable of making judgements concerning anti-kidnapping campaigns in Nigeria. In as much as Nigerians were seen to be well exposed to the media result also showed that most Nigerians are more exposed to the radio medium and any other medium, followed by the internet. Television and newspaper ranked the lowest. This could be as a result of the fact that language and financial conditions pose a great threat to effective communication.
On the issue of the level of exposure to the anti-kidnapping campaigns, almost all the respondents affirmed that they are very much aware of the campaigns but they mostly see them on television than in any other medium. Results also depicted scanty anti-kidnapping campaign in the internet, newspaper and radio media. This result is not encouraging as radio is regarded as the most accessible and personal medium of mass communication and should be judiciously utilized in local areas like Uzo-Uwani where terrorists in guise of Fulani herdsmen have taken footage.
RECOMMENDATIONS
From all indications, it is obvious what the researcher would recommend for this study.
- That National Security Agencies should look beyond Television to other means of communication so as to increase coverage and increase awareness of the campaign programmes.
- That Nigerians should pay adequate attention to these campaign programmes as they will help in protecting and guiding them from kidnappers.
- That media consultant should inculcate high elements of creativity in their reflecting of reality through the use of realistic and reliable pictures and videos that will appeal to the consciousness of the viewers.
- That vernacular languages should not be taken for granted when communication delicate issues like this. Media practitioner, please take note.
- That security experts should participate in dramatizing the campaigns so that they can be more reliable and objective.
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