ABSTRACT

The study ascertained the effect of rural insecurity on livelihood activities of households in Southeast Nigeria. Specifically, the study described the socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents, identified various forms of insecurity prevalent in the study area, ascertained the perceived causes of rural insecurity, ascertained the level of insecurity, identified the livelihood activities in the study area, ascertained the perceived effects of rural insecurity on the respondents’ livelihood activities, ascertained the coping strategies adopted by respondents and examined challenges limiting efforts to curb rural insecurity. Multi-stage, purposive and random sampling techniques were used to select 324 respondents from nine local government areas in the study area. Data were collected using structured questionnaire and were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics such as frequency counts, percentages, mean, ANOVA, and multiple regression. Four null hypotheses were tested at 5% level of significance. The findings showed that respondents had a mean age of 49 years, 55.2% of the respondents were females, while 44.8% were males. Money laundering (66.7%), bribery (64.5%), destruction of crops (63.9%), kidnapping (56.2%), armed robbery (56.1%), theft (54.6%), and communal fight (52.8%) were the major forms of insecurity. The study further shows that rural poverty ( = 3.3), feeling of marginalization ( = 3.2), high level of rural unemployment ( = 3.2), corruption ( = 3.2), poor road network ( = 3.1), poor security system ( = 3.1), were immediate causes of rural insecurity. Destruction of crops ( = 2.91), theft ( = 2.82), cultism ( = 2.76), armed robbery ( = 2.76), communal fight ( = 2.72) were recorded as having high levels. Cassava production (74.4%), poultry (66.3%), small retail shops (64.5%) and petty business (62.7%) were the major livelihood activities of households. The study also shows that loss of wealth ( = 3.5), prevention of farming activities ( = 3.4), loss of livelihoods/income ( = 3.4), loss of land ( = 3.4), disruption of supply and distribution of agricultural inputs and outputs ( = 3.4), destruction of crops ( = 3.4), and increase in rural poverty ( = 3.4) were significant effect of rural insecurity on respondents’ livelihood activities in South-east Nigeria. Control of light arms and small weapons ( = 3.1), reporting criminal activities to security agencies ( = 3.1), formation of peace committee ( = 3.1), vigilantes/night watcher volunteers ( = 3.0), were the major coping strategies adopted by respondents. The study further shows that lack of adequate training on safety tips (70.1%), delay in response of security agents (68.0%) and shortage of security personnel (66.0%) were the major challenges to curbing rural insecurity. The ordinary least square regression analysis with linear function as the lead equation revealed that armed robbery (2.578**), theft (2.641**) and destruction of crops (2.519**) had significant effect on respondents’ livelihood activities at 5% level of significance. The ANOVA result showed that there was no significant difference in the perceived effect of rural insecurity on livelihood activities as well as no significant difference in the level of rural insecurity across the States at 5% level of significance respectively. The ANOVA result also revealed that there was significant difference in the coping strategies adopted in curbing the menace of rural insecurity at 5% level of significance. From the findings, it was concluded that rural insecurity had negative effect on livelihood activities of households in the study area. Hence, it recommends that government and security agents should be proactive in tracing and addressing the remote and immediate causes of insecurity.