FROM RESTIVENESS TO ORGANISED CRIMES: COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES FOR EMPOWERING YOUTH FOR PEACE BUILDING IN THE NORTHEAST, NIGERIA

ABSTRACT: This study investigated the relationship between youth vulnerability and participation in organized criminal activities while exploring communication-driven empowerment strategies capable of promoting youth participation in peace building in Northeast Nigeria. The research was anchored on the complementary insights of the Frustration–Aggression Theory and the Relative Deprivation Theory. The study utilized secondary data from Nigeria Watch Programmed, a systematically curated database of violent incidents across Nigeria from 1998 to 2025. Verified incident records relating to insurgency attacks, banditry, armed robbery, communal violence, and kidnappings were extracted for Borno State, Adamawa State, and Yobe State covering the period 2015–2024. Data were coded and analyzed using descriptive statistics, frequency distributions, and trend analysis, while supplementary indicators from the National Bureau of Statistics were used for triangulation. The findings reveal that youths constitute a significant demographic within organized criminal and violent networks in the region, largely driven by unemployment, poverty, peer influence, ethnic tensions, environmental pressures, and manipulative political communication. The study further establishes that strategic communication interventions can significantly redirect youthful energy toward constructive civic participation and sustainable peace building. he studies concludes that if the structural conditions that fuel youth frustration and perceived deprivation are not deliberately addressed, organized criminality may become progressively normalized among younger generations, thereby deepening the cycle of insecurity in the region. The study therefore recommends coordinated youth empowerment programmers, improved socio-economic opportunities, and deliberate peace-oriented communication strategies as critical measures for transforming youth restiveness into productive social participation in Northeast Nigeria.

KEYWORDS: Communication Strategies, Organized Crime, Peace Building, Relative Deprivation, Youth Empowerment, Youth Restiveness