THE POWER OF CRIMINAL AND VIOLENT MINDED INTEREST ON NIGERIAN TRADITIONAL INSTITUTIONS: THE QUESTION OF MORALITY IN A POPULOUS RELIGIOUS SOCIETY

Abstract

Criminality and violence appear to be a globalized world issues in the 21^st century. In the distinct past, very little or nothing was heard about crimes and violence. In the Nigeria context, occurrence of crimes and violence has risen to an alarming degree. Some people in this contemporary Nigeria society have perceived crime and violence as a culture. The young and old in various functional capacities in Nigeria, have become embodiments of crime and violence. This paper discovers that this unbecoming rate of criminal and violent indulgence in the people’s minds is a deadly cancer-worm now devouring on the tissues of Nigerian traditional  institutions, irrespective of the existence of religious organizations and bodies scattered in every nook and cranny of the country. There is also the problem of absence of morality in a populous religious society like Nigeria. The kinship, family and marriage institutions, title taking, taboos, etc have been negatively influenced by ill-minded criminals. This research aims at echoing the negative effects of allowing criminal and violent minded interest to pollute Nigerian traditional institutions, and addressing the issue of outburst of immorality in a morally structured civil and religious environment. The paper, recommends that traditional institutions should be protected against criminals and terror, among other things. Materials for this study were collected from both primary and secondary sources. Historical method of research was adopted. Data collected were analyzed with phenomenological and descriptive style of data analysis.