Managing boundary disputes in Nigeria's rural communities

A case study of Wakajaye and Lagbaka Communities

Bibliographic Data

ID5338465
AuthorsKazeem Oyedele Lamidi (0000-0002-0434-8990, Obafemi Awolowo University, corresponding author)
Year2025
Pages1-23
Publication date2025-10-05
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueSocial Identities (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1350-4630 • E-ISSN: 1363-0296
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13504630.2025.2566944
OpenAlexW4414839184
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited26

Boundary disputes are one of the major sources of communal conflict in Nigeria’s countryside. Studies have examined the management of boundary disputes at the macroscopic level of the state, regional, and national levels. However, boundary disputes have not been put into management perspectives at the microscopic level of rural communities in Nigeria. Hence, this paper provides insightful discourse on the management of rural boundary disputes in Nigeria’s rural communities using Wakajaye and Lagbaka Communities as a case study. It becomes imperative with a view to resolving rural boundary disputes as a foremost source of inter-communal conflict in Nigeria. Using an exploratory research design, this paper draws the inherent causes, effects, and management perspectives from the theoretical abstraction of local stakeholders. This paper finds that rural boundary disputes between Wakajaye and Lagbaka communities in Osun State stem from socio-economic issues like illegal land sales and resource competition, resulting to family and ethnic disintegration. It suggests that effective resolution lies in traditional mediation, negotiation and boundary re-settlement that blend indigenous practices with formal governance systems. It emphasizes a stepwise process for the management of rural boundary disputes in Nigeria. This paper concludes that management of rural boundary disputes is not only an essential task, but also a resolution framework needed at the community level so as to prevent social conflicts

Boundary object · Boundary-work · Corporate governance · Land Rights and Reforms

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