Participation in Fraud/Cheat in the Buying and Selling of Meats Without Legal Metrology: A Theoretical and Empirical Investigations

ABSTRACT

Fraud/cheat in the buying and selling of commodities is part and parcel of modern businesses worldwide, and a common phenomenon in Nigeria. Personal purchases of meats using a measurement scale and others without measurement scale were made in Abakiliki and Calabar meat markets. Empirically, holding the quality of meats constant, a paired t-test analytical tool shows significant difference in the weight of meats bought and sold by non-measurement scale and those with measurement scale. Theoretically, perspectives from rational choice, fraud triangle, economic, social learning/contagious, anomie theories and political economy are drawn on to suggest an integrated multiple reinforcing-social-forces theory of fraud in the sale of meats. Results confirm that consumers receive less value for their money when they purchase meats without metrology. Cheat is conceived as a product of individual, structural variables and process that interact at different levels to produce negative consequences. An EpiCrim approach which, include strategies to promote consumers’ rights awareness, impose sanctions with certainty, celerity and pains, and other measures to assist helpless victims of cheat is advocated.

KEYWORDS:

• Fraud/cheat
• meats
• metrology
• Abakaliki
• Calabar
• Nigeria

Notes

¹ Consumerism or consumer movement is an attempt to expand the rights and powers of consumers. The goal of the movement is to give power to consumers to act as an effective counterbalance to the rights and powers of business firms that sell goods and services.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Smart E. Otu

Smart E. Otu (Ph.D. criminology) University of South Africa, Ph.D. (Sociology), The University of the Western Cape, Cape Town. A fellow of West Africa Research Association; former intern of Drug Policy Research Centre, RAND Corporation Santa Monica, CA, USA. Currently, Smart teaches in the Department of Sociology/Psychology/Criminology and Security Studies Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Ikwo, Abakaliki Nigeria. His research interest lies in organized crime, armed robbery, drugs, theory deconstruction and reconstruction, corruption, criminal profiling, Policing, etc. He is a member of many professional associations including, Nigeria Anthropology and Sociology Association, International Association of Criminal Justice Practitioners, and American Society of Criminology (ASC), etc.

Oliver Okon (B.Sc. Mathematics and Statistics) University of Calabar, (PGD Criminology) Ebonyi State University and (M.Sc. Criminology) Ebonyi State University. Oliver has worked as both a statistician and project manager with both Cross River State Water Corporation and with United Purpose. He is currently pursuing his doctoral program in Criminology at the Department of Sociology, University of Calabar. His research interests are in the areas of corruption, illegal drug use and abuse, community policing, victimization, etc.