Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Urban Crime Pattern and its Implication for Abuja Municipal Area Council, Nigeria

This study examined the spatio-temporal analysis of urban crime pattern and its implication for Abuja Municipal Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria; it has the aim of using Geographical Information System to improve criminal justice system. The aim was achieved by establishing crime incident spots, types of crime committed, the time it occurred and factors responsible for prevailing crime. The methods for data collection involved Geoinformatics through the use of remote sensing and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) for spatial data. Questionnaires were administered for other attribute information required. The analysis carried out in a Geographic Information System (GIS) environment especially for mapping and the establishment of spatial patterns.  The results indicated that the main types of crime committed were theft and house breaking (42.9%), followed by assault (12.4%), mischief (11.3%), forgery (10.5%), car snatching (9.05%), armed robbery (8.5%), trespass (5.2%) and culpable homicide (0.2%). In terms of hot spots the districts recorded the following: Garki (27.62%), Maitama (25.7%), Utako (24.3%), Wuse (20.9%) and Asokoro district (1.4%) respectively with most of the crime committed during the day time. Many attributed the crimes to mainly high rate of unemployment and poverty (79.1%). Consequently to reduce the crime rate, the socio-economic situation of the city must be improved through properly constructed interventions scheme in areas known to quickly generate employment such as agriculture, small and medium scale enterprises, mining and tourism.

Characterisation of Land Degraded Sites for Restoration Along Kaduna-Abuja Expressway, Chikun L.G.A. of Kaduna State Nigeria

This study characterized sites of degraded land along Kaduna-Abuja expressway in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State for the purpose of planning for the restoration of such sites. Aerial photographs, satellite imagery, topographical sheets and ground data were used. Also examined were types and sizes of degraded sites, distance from major roads and existing land use and cover on an area of 800km2 (40km/20km) in a GIS environment using on screen digitization classification scheme as well as both descriptive and inferential statistical methods. The results revealed four on-going types of degradations in the area namely; soil erosion at 14 sites, excavation of top soil (42), deforestation (75) and loss of biodiversity (91); while on the basis of size, very small (< 0.5ha; 59 occurrences), small (0.51 – 1ha; 28), medium (1.1 – 1.5ha; 21), large (1.51 – 2ha; 18) and very large (> 2ha; 96) respectively. These are scattered all over the study area and are mostly lands that are not used for any economic and ecological purposes. The correlation revealed an inverse relationship of -0.7 between the distances of degraded sites from the expressway and the frequency of occurrence. The characterization shows that degraded sites are located randomly, but are closer to major roads. The main agents of degradation are the removal of top soil and indiscriminate wood harvest. It is therefore proposed that restoration should start from areas adjacent to major roads, targeting unused land, stopping soil loss and providing a better approach to wood harvest which can be achieved through agroforestry system of agriculture

Groundwater Condition and Management in Kano Region, Northwestern Nigeria

This paper provides a broad overview of issues on groundwater condition and management in the Kano region of northwestern Nigeria. The aim is to recommend new management strategies that can ensure sustainable groundwater resource management in the region. To achieve the aim of the study, various studies on groundwater conducted in the region were reviewed and key issues were identified. The review revealed that groundwater availability varied between the Basement Complex and Chad Formation areas of the region, with the latter having more of the resource than the former region as a result of the migration of groundwater from the Basement complex to the Chad Formation region. The review also revealed a steady annual decrease of groundwater level during the period 2010 to 2013 and the groundwater beneath the floodplains dropped from 9000 Million Cubic Meter (MCM) in 1964 to 5000 MCM in 1987 in the Chad Formation area of the region. The review further revealed that there is poor knowledge regarding the impact of historical and projected climate variability and change on groundwater availability in the region. This is as a result of the lack of sustained time series data on groundwater resource. Thus, there has been little or no integrated management between groundwater excess and deficiency on one hand, and groundwater pollution management on the other hand. Rainwater harvesting, among other approaches, is recommended for sustainable groundwater management in the region