Urban Insecurity and Economic Development in Enugu State

Abstract

The study examined urban insecurity and Economic Development in Enugu State. The study was guided by three objectives and three hypotheses. This research employed a descriptive research design. Chi-square non parametric statistics was applied in the test of hypotheses. The findings revealed that Incidence of kidnapping has a significant effect on economic development of Enugu. This means that the high level of kidnaping in Enugu urban scares away investors in the states. Armed robbery has a significant effect on economic development of Enugu State that the finding revealed that Insurgencies (violent agitations) has significant effect on economic development of Enugu State. The study concluded that urban insecurity which often manifest in the way of kidnapping, armed robbery and violent agitations etc influenced negatively the economic development in Enugu State. The study recommended that Governments at all levels should put in place mechanisms that encourage financial institutions to provide soft loans to aspiring young entrepreneurs who want to start small businesses, allowing them to sustain themselves and avoid engaging in criminal activities such as kidnapping for ransom, which has become the norm in many Nigerian states.