This study compared cultural values and reported crimes among
five indigenous ethnic nationalities in Delta state of Nigeria.
Values, such as orderliness, hard work, and obedience, facilitate
or defacilitate criminality among five indigenous peoples of Delta
State. The method of research was ex-post facto, through the
technique of content analysis using police, prison records and
indepth interviews with divisional crime officers from the three
politically designated senatorial zones in the state. The significant
finding showed, among others, that more crimes were committed in
the Central and South Senatorial Zones, where the marriage type
is polygamous, and much less in the North, where the marriage
type is monogamous. This finding and others were situated in the
Social Learning Theory through the concept of socialization
process by learning and internalizing cultural values of conformity
and ritualism in low crime North Senatorial Zone in contrast to
innovation, retreatism and rebellion in high crime Delta Central
and South Senatorial Zones. Studies reviewed corroborated these
findings. It was recommended that mass media campaign to
reconstruct thoughts, attitude and behaviour be embarked on. In
bringing up children, parents should be mindful of emerging
negative effects of urbanization and economic competitions.