Journal of African Studies and Sustainable Development

Land disputes and its resources have generated serious communal crisis across communities in Igboland. This has affected the community relationship and peaceful coexistence among the people. There seems to be paucity of studies or model that can be used as template to curb these unending crises. This study was undertaken to proffer solutions by interrogating the land ownership and its resources model of Ezimo Community in Udenu Local Government Areal of Enugu State. The study „s primary and secondary data were collected from the field and phenomenological methods were employed on its analysis. Hence, the findings revealed that land and land resources ownership system of Ezimo community is an expression of family bond, maintenance of community consciousness and web like connection with the supra mundane. The study also discovers that this system of ownership which is a holistic one has been in practice in Ezimo community for ages and has helped in curbing land disputes. The study suggests that if this ownership system in Ezimo is applied and adopted in other communities in Igboland, the relevance and significance of Igbo would view would be enhanced. The study recommends more and unbiased research on the traditional leadership of other communities and tribes in Nigeria as efforts to curb conflicts that land disputes generate.

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