SUCCESSION TO RIGHTS IN LAND UNDER IGALA CUSTOMARY LAW OF KOGI STATE

📄 Project Abstract

Igala land in Kogi State is richly blessed with fertile soil. This makes the people predominantly farmers. Crops grown in this area comprise yams, rice cassava, millet, maize, guinea corn and beans. There are few cash crops such as palm oil, palm kernels, rubber and timbers. The area covered by this dissertation includes the six Local Government Areas, Ankpa, Bassa, Dekina, Idah, Ofu and Olamaboro with the population of about one million people. This puts Igala people as the majority tribe in kogi State. In the past the Igalas did not place much importance to their land despite the fact that it is the sustenance of life. But now the economic value of land has been recognized so much so that the Igalas engage themselves in fighting for the ownership. Some villages in Igala land fight each other for ownership of land. Under customary land law, land is owned by communities or villages and the title to the communal land is vested in the community or village as a whole. In some cases, the m...