THE ROLE OF AGE GRADE IN CRIME CONTROL IN TIV SOCIETY OF CENTRAL NIGERIA
Aver Tyavwase Theophilus
Department of Sociology,
Benue State University, Makurdi
Email: theophilusaver@yahoo.com, yavwaseaver@gmail.com
ABSTRACT
Every age grade has its own means of controlling the society conduct of its citizens in order to reach its desired goals. The importance of the age grade in this regard cannot be gainsaid. Thus, the age grade provides, among other things, the penal technique by which those who are found guilty of acts prohibited by the society are punished. The age grade in Tiv society of central Nigeria has in its body of customary laws a rich penal system. Though largely unwritten, the deterrence theory of punishment is adopted in this work. The reason for this theory is that its best captured the operation of age grade in Tiv society of central Nigeria. The paper discovered that factors like migration and apathy has been a major challenge to age grade operation. The paper recommends that, security agents should collaborate with age grade in the rural areas to tackle security situations envisaged in Nigeria today. More the national assembly should make law that will give legal backing to age grade operation in Nigeria to tackle the current security challenges.