Bisan Musa, Emmanuel Japheth Eze, Precious Aladi Ameh

Keywords: Trauma, counseling services, undergraduate students, antisocial, childhood

Abstract

Activities of Boko Haram have largely threatened national security in Nigeria since the past two decades. In Nigeria, the sect came into limelight when it attacked the United Nations’ building and Police Headquarters in Abuja, leading to loss of lives and properties. It soon complemented these assaults with the kidnap of 276 Chibok schoolgirls and the slaughtering of 50 students of Federal Government College, Buni Yadi. Over the years, different strategies have been adopted by different administrations in Nigeria towards ending the crises, namely: Yaradua’s shoot-on-sight approach, Jonathan’s “carrot” and “stick” strategy and Buhari’s de-radicalization, de-mobilization and rehabilitation programme, otherwise known as DDR. Although Buhari’s approach looked good in walking a fine line, Boko Haram is still in the bush fighting with its sister organization, the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP). The study adopts the descriptive cross-sectional survey design which involved the administration of 250 questionnaires, conduct of in-depth interview and Focus Group Discussions. The study’s findings revealed ethnicity, betrayal among Nigerian military forces, greed and corruption coupled with foreign involvement as the major reason why Boko Haram crisis remains unabated in Nigeria. The study concludes that while much attention is paid to repentant Boko Haram, little or no attention is paid to their victims. This gap is generating hostility and rejection of government programmes in local communities. Thus, it is recommended that the back-to-school initiative of the Federal Government should go a step further to identify the real victims of Boko Haram insurgence and compensate them accordingly.This study examines how traumatic childhood experiences influence
interpersonal relationships and criminal behaviour among undergraduate students at the University of Jos. Using a descriptive survey design, the study assessed childhood trauma as the independent variable and interpersonal relationship patterns and criminal behaviour as dependent variables. Two hundred students (100 males and 100 females), aged 16 to 28, were selected from the Faculties of Social Sciences, Education,
Arts, Management Sciences, and Natural Sciences to ensure diverse
representation. Data were collected using three standardized instruments: the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire–Short Form (CTQ-SF), the Interpersonal Relationship Scale (IRS), and the Self-Report Delinquency Scale (SRDS). Three hypotheses were tested using Pearson Product–Moment Correlation and multiple regression analysis. Results revealed a strong, significant relationship between traumatic childhood experiences and interpersonal relationship difficulties (r = .876, p < .01). Similarly, traumatic experiences were significantly associated with higher tendencies toward criminal or antisocial behaviour (r = .876, p <.01). Regression results further showed that childhood trauma
significantly predicted both interpersonal difficulties and criminal
behaviour (r = .520, p < .01). The study concludes that childhood trauma
negatively affects undergraduate students’ relationships with others and
increase the likelihood of antisocial or criminal behaviour. The study recommends that the University of Jos Management should adopt trauma-informed support systems, strengthen counseling services, and develop programmes that enhance students’ interpersonal skills while reducing behavioural risks linked to early trauma.

Author Biography

Bisan Musa, Emmanuel Japheth Eze, Precious Aladi Ameh

University of Jos, Nigeria

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