WEALTH FLAUNTING AND VULNERABILITY TO CRIME IN BENUE STATE

Abstract

The study was conducted to assess the influence of wealth flaunting on the vulnerability of the people of Benue State to crime. It is believed that criminals will be less successful with criminal attempts if the people are less susceptible. In light of this, the study posits that certain lifestyles lived by people, like wealth flaunting, significantly predisposes them to crime. Studies in this regard have always established the relationship but not the extent of the relationship. The study pursued a major objective which was to ‘examine the extent to which wealth flaunting influences vulnerability of people to crime in Benue State’. The study hypothesises that “wealth flaunting has no significant influence on the vulnerability of people to crime in Benue State”. To achieve this, the correlational survey research design was adopted as the plan for the study, following which the Yamane (1967) formula for determination of sample size for small and known populations was used to arrive at 400 respondents. The findings show that wealth flaunting may be unhealthy for personal security as it reveals so much about us to intending criminals and makes us become targets for victimisation. The study specifically finds that 60.5% of people who flaunt wealth believed that their victimisations can be linked to their behaviour. A test of hypothesis shows that 42.7% of people who flaunt wealth either in physical or cyber space are likely to become victims of crime. The study then concludes that wealth flaunting is a risky lifestyle that extends an invitation to criminals. As a result, individuals then have a role to play in improving their own security by checking their attitude of public display of wealth, and the government also has a role to play in educating the public to understand the role of wealth flaunting in the vulnerability of people to crime.