The Ibibios’ view of Mbiam (Traditional Oath Taking) as a Tool for Adjudication in Nigeria: A Policy Pathway

Ofonmbuk E. Atakpa, Benson E. Udoms & Patrick U. Enang

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Abstract

This paper explored the possibilities laden in the traditional justice administrative practices among the Ibibios of Akwa Ibom State and their incorporation into formal judicial structures for the administration of justice in the state. The advocacy was founded on the truism of the weaknesses of formal judicial administrative structures to adequately deliver on expected roles. This lent credence to the adoption of structural functionalism as the theoretical framework of analysis. Though combining both qualitative and quantitative approaches, the paper dwelt on the analysis of 400 responses to questionnaire materials (through a simple random sampling method) from a population estimate of 2,338,538 Ibibio indigenes. After analysis, it was concluded that both civil and criminal conflicts are likely resolved through Mbiam as a judicial instrument among the Ibibios of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The paper recommended, among others, that instead of pretending that it does not exist, government should study the practice of mbiam as a traditional method of conflict resolution and seek ways of refining it to suit modern day realities.

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