Kukah: Youths lured into crime, extremism are products of poor upbringing

Matthew Kukah, Catholic bishop of the Sokoto diocese, says youths lured into crime are products of poor upbringing.

Kukah spoke on Monday at the opening ceremony of “Exercise Haske Biyu 2025”, held at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Jaji, Kaduna state.

Delivering a paper titled “Relationship between family dynamics and national security”, Kukah, represented by John Hayab, said many of Nigeria’s contemporary challenges, particularly youth radicalisation and social unrest, are rooted in failed parenting and the collapse of traditional family systems.

“The family is the primary institution of socialisation. Many of the young people we see today, who are lured into crime, extremism, and social vices, are products of homes where proper upbringing has failed,” he said.

Kukah noted that structural issues such as limited access to formal education, economic hardship, and the growing obsession with materialism continue to push many youths toward destructive paths.

Kukah stressed the enduring value of early moral instruction and discipline in shaping responsible citizens.

He added that a stable family environment nurtures emotional intelligence, civic responsibility, and tolerance—traits vital for national integration and conflict prevention.

“Families that model empathy, respect, and constructive engagement are more likely to produce citizens who are peacebuilders rather than disruptors,” he said.

The clergy called for deliberate policy interventions that promote family welfare, including investments in community-based parenting programmes, psychosocial support services, and faith-based education on family values.

Also, Sa’ad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto and president-general of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), warned that the growing erosion of family values is posing a threat to Nigeria’s national security and social cohesion.

The sultan said the family remains the most fundamental building block of any society, noting that its deterioration naturally weakens communities and institutions.

“The smallest yet most critical unit in any society is the family. Weak families produce weak communities, and weak communities give rise to insecure nations,” he said.

He noted that most of the moral values and behavioural patterns that define security consciousness are formed in early childhood.

“The world has not and will never invent anything to replace the family,” he said.

He expressed concern that modern influences, ranging from the pursuit of illicit wealth to the pervasive impact of unregulated digital content and social media, are undermining traditional family structures and exposing children to harmful ideologies.

The sultan also called for the establishment of stronger marriage advisory boards, a value-based review of the national education curriculum, stricter regulation of digital platforms, improved drug control mechanisms, and renewed government commitment to tackling the menace of out-of-school children.