THE RELEVANCE OF MBIAM AS A VERITABLE TOOL IN REGULATING CRIME IN TRADITIONAL ANNANG LAND

Abstract

The persistent increase and frightening rate of criminal and corrupt practices that have engulfed the contemporary Annang society is a cause for serious concern. This stands in stark contrast to the past, when traditional approaches and strategies were employed to combat crime. It may be argued that the sophisticated weaponry employed by security personnel lately has not had a major impact on crime reduction; this is because of the manifestation of social disarray in the normative system of the Annang people. In view of the above, this work aimed to retrospectively x-ray Mbiam as a traditional method of crime control in pre-colonial Annang society with a view to highlighting that this method can be applied contemporarily to mitigate the meteoric rise in crime in Annang land, since the modern or Western methods have not dealt with crime significantly. The study deployed a descriptive research technique, with data drawn from in-depth interviews with the custodians of the Annang traditions in addition to consultation of other related secondary sources. The findings of the study revealed that although Mbiam was pivotal in crime control in pre-colonial Annang land, it has been drastically relegated to nothingness in the contemporary Annang society via the instrumentality of the influence of western culture and civilization. The work suggests an integration of Mbiam into the Western style or system of crime control to ensure optimal performance and effectiveness in curbing the unbridled proliferation of crimes and corruption in the present day Annang land.