Pathways and Trajectories to Life-Course Persistent Armed Robbery Offending Behavior in Contemporary Nigeria: Examining the Predictors and the Risks Factors

This study examines the relationship between previous antisocial behavior and persistent life-course armed robbery offending behavior in contemporary Nigeria. The key research question is whether predatory criminal behavior or experiences, offender's pattern of social relations with family and peers, and offender's awareness of family history of armed robbery correlate with involvement in armed robbery behavior in a later adult life-course criminal career. Using a sample of 68 career armed robbers drawn from three prisons in southeastern states of Nigeria, our findings found support for previous studies which suggest that certain crimes such as armed robbery may require certain degree of previous criminal experiences because of their high profile nature. We also found that becoming an armed robber in a later adult life-course criminal career is also a function of the offender's family robbery history and certain degrees of unsatisfactory relationships (exposure to negative social networks) which together provide normative supports for learning the techniques, motives, and rationalization necessary for armed robbery behavior. The paper recommends prevention design on the basis of knowledge of the relationship between delinquent offending behavior and life-course adult criminal behavior such as armed robbery.