History, land and conflict in Nigeria: The Aguleri-Umuleri experience, 1933-1999

Abstract

This paper studies the place of history, and land in the outbreak of conflicts in Nigeria, with focus on the Aguleri- Umuleri communities’ experience. Both communities were engulfed in intractable conflicts over the ownership of Otuocha land. Aside the contest over land, both communities have been engaged in the reconstruction of their history with each claiming to be the direct descendant of Eri, who both refer to as their progenitor. Studies exist on the Aguleri-Umuleri conflicts, but these works focused only on the contest over Otuocha land as the sole cause of the conflict, neglecting the aspect on the perceived distortion of history, which appear to be the underlying factor. This paper addresses this imbalance. The paper adopts the multi-disciplinary approach, as well as the thematic method of presentation. The paper basically draws from primary and secondary sources. Primary sources are derived from oral interviews, while the secondary sources are mainly obtained from books and journal articles. The conflict led to loss of lives and property, destruction of the economic base of the belligerent communities, high crime wave, and historical revisionism of the area. Though the conflict may seem to have ceased, the issues at stake remain unresolved. This paper among other things recommends a revision of the Eri mythology to establish the true nature of the relationship between the two communities.