ABSTRACT
It is indisputable that Nigeria as a country is undergoing a paradigm shift when it comes to the subject of crime, and Benin City, as part of this country, has its own share of this problem. Nigeria has been classified as a terrorist state, which raises concerns for the country's security, as well as the security of its states and towns. On a daily basis, the city of Benin is confronted with criminal activity in many forms. Inexplicably, the perpetrators of these heinous deeds are youth, which is why the study concentrates on youth involvement in crime. The rate of youth engagement in different crimes is rapidly increasing. Many factors have been suggested as being accountable for or influencing the high rate of youth criminality. They include the following, which will be examined in order: Religious, peer influence, media, and career-related influences are all personal, family/parental, school-based/educational, socioeconomic, and political issues. The study, on the other hand, explains that religion (particularly Christianity) is critical in restraining most, if not all, of the excesses displayed by youngsters by giving a proactive approach to assisting youths in overcoming their violent behaviours. In this aspect, religion becomes a valuable instrument in combating crime, as many religious tenets condemn such behaviour among the youths.
