CRIME, POLICING AND JUDICIAL SYSTEM IN PRE-COLONIAL IKA AREA OF AKWA IBOM STATE

Abstract

Crime is an integral part of every human society; hence, societies crave to bring crime under control, leading to the creation of different mechanisms for crime control. In pre-colonial Ika society of Akwa Ibom State, several policing initiatives and judicial system were devised for such purpose. With the utilization of primary and secondary sources, and mixed approach, the paper discusses that the use of traditional policing and judicial mechanisms in the control of crime were more effective. Ika people had a variety of models and approach to control crime prior to the creation of the colonial pattern of crime control, through certain institutions such as the extended family system, the lineage system, the age grade system, women societies, religious and other social groups, ancestral cults, and spirit cults, divination, ordeals, secret societies, among others, whose functions were detection, resolution and punishment for offenses. Consequently, British colonialism battered, disorganized and even dismantled these mechanisms, leading to the increase in crime rate. The paper finds out that, the emergence of Western-styled policing institution and judicial system in Ika brought about the use of violence and increase in crime. The paper concludes that the introduction of Western institutions of governance among other forces of globalization left many challenges on the pre-colonial policing institutions and judicial mechanisms of crime control which had effectively served the same purpose among the Ika people. Until a mixed approach through community policing is implemented, crime will continue to be on the increase.