title: Psychosocial aspects of murder in Nigeria.
abstract: This study is a review of cases of murder reported to Police in Kaduna State from 1983 to 1987 and a survey of the psychosocial profile of the murderers. Most of the murderers, 91.7%, were between the ages of 20 and 40 while 93.6% were male. Of them 56.5% were single while Moslems (51.2%) formed the highest group. Unemployed and ex-service men predominated in the cohort interviewed. Sharp tools such as matchets, knives and axes were used by 66.7%, 83.3% of the murderers are acquitances (friends and family members) of their victims. Socially acceptable reasons were given for 79.1% of the murder while 5.3% were referred for psychiatric assessment. Implications of this study in formulating policy on murder are briefly mentioned.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Kaduna P.M.B. Nigeria.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ogungbemi
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Ahmed
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006708:Homicide / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D009042:Motivation; D009549:Nigeria; D009790:Occupations; D012067:Religion; D012737:Sex Factors