Yoruba Writers' Worldview about Crime

Abstract

A close look at the Yoruba societies today reveals that a lot of changes have been brought into the lifestyle of the societies. The computer age we now experience in our societies have moved the societies forward both positively and negatively. Ogunsina (1984) observes that one of the major results of the Nigerian civil war are robbery, theft, prostitution, drug peddling, murder among others which Yoruba society regard as vices and they frown at them. Okediji also attests to this in his prose texts: Atoto Arere and Agbalagba Akin which are described as crime novels. Today, people dupe others through the internet, others kidnap and demand for huge financial ransom as condition for release. Whosoever is unable to provide the money loses his or her life. These behaviours no doubt are 'alien' to Yoruba society of old. QUite a number of reasons are given as the cause(s) of these behaviours which the Yoruba describe as anti-omoluabi hence, they are regarded as vices. People clamour for change and the Yoruba literary writers are not left out in the crusade. This paper examines the daily increase in cirme waves in the Yoruba societies. It examines selected Yoruba written texts with the aim of determining the writers' worldview on crime and to fish out the lessons therein. Our findings reveal that criminal acts have been on the increase in Yoruba society for sometimes now partly as a result of the introduction of foreign ideas, the way out of this mess lies on the people and also on Government policies. The paper concludes that it is the duty of all stake holders to rise up to the occasion as observed by the selected authors.