Forensic Psychology and Criminal Profiling of Armed Robbery Offenders in Anambra State

Criminal profiling, drawing on forensic psychological principles, offers law enforcement agencies a structured framework for understanding the behavioural characteristics of repeat violent offenders. This study develops a preliminary criminal profile of armed robbery offenders based on cases prosecuted in Anambra State between 2019 and 2024. A descriptive quantitative design was employed, reviewing fifty armed robbery case files from the Anambra State High Court and administering structured psychosocial questionnaires to twenty-two convicted offenders serving sentences at Aguata and Awka correctional facilities. The study examines demographic profiles, modus operandi patterns, victim selection criteria, and motivational factors. Findings indicate that offenders in the reviewed cases were predominantly male, aged between nineteen and thirty-two, and operating in groups of three to six members. Target selection was predominantly opportunistic rather than organised, and financial need driven by unemployment was cited by seventy-eight percent of interviewed offenders as the primary motivational factor. The study identifies the potential utility of geographic profiling tools in linking offences across the state. Recommendations include the development of a forensic psychology resource unit within the Anambra State Police Command to support investigative profiling and the incorporation of rehabilitative psychological interventions in correctional facility programmes. Keywords: criminal profiling, forensic psychology, armed robbery, Anambra State, offender behaviour.