Nigeria: Information regarding land ownership and land disputes
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 May 1990 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | NGA5517 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Nigeria: Information regarding land ownership and land disputes, 1 May 1990, NGA5517, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac3440.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to the Information Officer at the Nigeria High Commission in Ottawa, land ownership exists both at the individual and communal levels. [ As stated by the information officer at the Nigerian High Commission in Ottawa during a telephone conversation with the IRBDC on 18 May 1990.] However, another source reports that there is no individual land ownership in Nigeria. [ George T. Kurian, ed., Encyclopedia of the Third World, Third Edition, vol.2, New York: Facts On File, Inc., 1987.] It states that land is communally owned, with elders and chiefs of a tribe allocating land to individuals for the purpose of cultivation. The elders and chiefs have the authority to take land away from individuals who fail to cultivate it. [ Ibid.]
Deaths and injuries resulting from fights over land disputes in Nigeria are reported in the attached articles from the following documents:
"On the Border: A Lagos correspondent Looks into the Problem of Boundary Disputes", West Africa, London: West African Publishing Company Ltd., 22-28 May 1989, pp. 1169.
"Tapping Rich Potential", West Africa, London: West African Publishing Company Ltd., 6-12 March 1989.