Rising land conflicts kill 112 Nigerians in 8yrs

…threatens Nigeria’s food supply chain

At least 112 people across Nigeria’s geopolitical zones have lost their lives from attacks driven by disagreement over land ownership, raising questions about the gaps in Nigeria’s 1978 Land Use Act, which is supposed to guide the process of land acquisition.

A new report by SBM Intelligence, a Nigerian research firm, reveals that between 2019 and early 2026, about 54 violent incidents have erupted amid rising land clashes between locals in the South-South, North-West, South-East, North-East, North-Central, and South-West.

This report titled The Price of a parcel: An analysis of land disputes and their impact on food security in Nigeria, is billed for official release on Tuesday, 31 March 2026,

According to the report, the most fatal attacks occurred in the early parts of 2026, on January 31 in the Poto community of Niger State.

Read also: Hunger protest: SBM Intel warns FG of looming challenges ahead

According to the SBM, the findings reveal a national crisis that transcends regional boundaries. Violence linked to land disputes is not confined to any single zone. It erupts in the South-South delta, the North-Central belt, the South-East, and beyond.

The SBM survey showed that around 72.7 percent of traders across states in the country have direct experience of the impacts of land conflict, ranging from 54.5 percent in the North-East to an astonishing 92.3 percent in the South-West, posing serious risk to food security and the safety of players in the food supply chain.

“Supply chain disruptions are most severe in the North-Central zone, anchored by Abuja, which serves as the convergence point for agricultural products from conflict-affected areas across multiple regions,” the report noted.

“The South-West, particularly Ibadan, shows universal exposure and a rapidly worsening trend. Lagos presents a distinct crisis of urban land tenure.”

Further analysis of the report shows that while incidents linked to land disputes were relatively low in the early years, the number of recorded incidents and fatalities spiked dramatically in 2024, which saw 17 events and 39 deaths, the highest annual totals in the dataset.

And although 2025 showed a slight decrease in the number of incidents, the violence continued and has persisted into 2026, with two confirmed deaths in Niger State.

A state-level analysis shows that Delta State is the most frequently mentioned, with 11 incidents leading to 19 deaths, underscoring intense communal pressures in the South-South.

Under Nigeria’s 1978 Land Use Act, users hold land under statutory or customary rights, commonly proven by a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O), which acts as evidence of the right to occupy for a specific period. This protects a person from reclaiming lands where they do not possess ownership.

However, the law often leaves ownership to whoever can take control, regardless of the original owner’s C of O.

“In the Southeast, land disputes often involve carefully planned and brutal attacks. In Anambra State, a violent confrontation in September 2024 between the neighbouring communities of Enugwu-Ukwu and Nawfia in Njikoka LGA left at least three people dead,” the report disclosed.

Food supply chain under serious attack

The report shows that many of the communities with land conflict incidents are major agricultural communities responsible for growing a bulk of Nigeria’s food or being key links in food supply chain.

In the North-Central for instance, Abuja is Nigeria’s food distribution hub, drawing supplies from across the country. Its high vulnerability reflects exposure to conflicts from multiple source areas, particularly the Middle Belt – Nigeria’s food basket state.

Similarly, South-West bordering states like Ekiti, Lagos, Oyo and Ondo are key players in the country’s food cultivation and supply chain.

The SBM report added that Ibadan faced an acute supply chain vulnerability due to growing attacks in the period.

Land disputes significantly impact the availability of staple goods. Traders in Abuja and Kano told the SBM that they are often affected by food supply delays as a result of land dispute tensions.