Over 1,700 killed in boundary, communal clashes in seven years — Report

An estimated 1,796 people have lost their lives in boundary and communal disputes across Nigeria between January 2018 and August 2025.

 

The figures were from media reports and findings from the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta.

 

Between 2018 and 2022 alone, no fewer than 676 individuals were killed in such conflicts.

 

The toll rose sharply in subsequent years, highlighting the increasing intensity and frequency of communal violence, especially in the southern and the North Central region of the country.

 

PIND reported that in Cross River State alone, over 400 deaths were recorded between January 2020 and December 2023 due to communal clashes linked to land and boundary disagreements.

 

In Delta and Bayelsa states, the organisation noted that over 650 people were killed during the same period.

 

It warned that the crisis in Okuama in Delta and Igbomotoru Bayelsa communities, driven largely by land disputes and confrontations involving security forces, could have been prevented.

 

“Communal clashes, especially those involving government security forces, have been causes of lethal violence in Delta and Bayelsa.

 

“Communal violence caused over 650 fatalities in both states between January 2020 and December 2023,” the report partly read.

 

Several high-profile incidents highlighted in the media include a land rights dispute that led to mass shootings in Agbudu, Kogi State, killing 14 people—13 of them from a single family in July 2020.

 

In June 2023, a land conflict in Oju, Benue State resulted in 14 fatalities, while in August 2023, four people were killed in a land ownership clash between the Oyofo and Awha communities in Enugu State, leading to the arrest of 12 suspects.

 

February 2023 saw six people killed in a dispute between the Omor and Anaku communities in Anambra State.

 

A similar tragedy occurred in April 2025 in Ebonyi State, where six individuals, including a pregnant woman, were killed in a renewed clash between Ndukwe and Okporojo communities.

 

In January 2025, five people were killed and 10 others injured in a violent confrontation between Akure and Idanre communities in Ondo State.

 

Benue State witnessed another surge of violence in March 2025, with 20 people reportedly killed in the long-running Bonta-Ukpute conflict.

 

Other fatal incidents include the killing of three individuals in a boundary clash in Osun State in March 2025, one death in Anambra the same month, and three others killed in a separate incident in Anambra in 2024.

 

The National Boundary Commission’s spokesman, Efe Ovuakporie, promised to get back to our correspondent on steps being taken to curb boundary and communal clashes in the country but he had yet to do so as of the time of filling this report.

 

A security expert, Chidi Omeje, expressed concerns over recurring land disputes across  Nigeria.

 

He blamed the clashes on the inefficacy of the Land Use Act and poor boundary delineation.

 

Omeje said the failure of state governments and relevant federal agencies to properly implement the Land Use Act has continued to fuel clashes among communities, especially in the South-East where land is scarce and highly valued.

 

“This just highlights the Land Use Act across the states. Let me talk about South-East, for instance, because that’s where I come from, and I know that land is always an issue. The government and the Land Use Act, promoted by the states, have not really been able to address the issues,” he said.

 

Omeje emphasised that boundary disputes remain contentious across many southern states, and faulted the National Boundary Commission for not working effectively with the state governments to resolve the issues.

 

“In the wisdom of the Federal Government, the National Boundary Commission has its job cut out. I don’t know why they have not been able to delineate these things, working hand in hand with the state governments to ensure that every community or every state knows exactly where their land begins and where it ends,” he stated.

 

He cited examples of recurring communal clashes between communities in Cross River and Ebonyi states, as well as disputes between Cross River and Akwa Ibom, as evidence of the unresolved land conflicts that threaten peace in the region.

 

According to him, the Land Use Act has failed to address critical questions surrounding ownership, heritage, and access to land—factors that continue to ignite tension and violence in affected communities.

 

“You cannot have this kind of disjointed laws and expect that peace will reign. Peace will not reign because land is very central to our people, especially down south where lands are not very much available,” he added.

 

Omeje called on the government to be intentional and proactive in resolving these issues to prevent further conflict and promote lasting peace.

 

 

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