The Theology of Land and Its Implications for Communal Land Disputes in Igbo Communities of South East Nigeria

This study develops a theology of land rooted in biblical and African contextual sources and examines its implications for addressing communal land disputes in Igbo communities of South East Nigeria. Land disputes are a pervasive source of conflict in Igboland, involving families, clans, and communities in protracted legal and sometimes violent confrontations. While the state legal system offers one avenue for resolution, the theological and spiritual dimensions of land in Igbo cosmology suggest that faith communities are uniquely positioned to contribute to sustainable resolution. Using a qualitative research design combining theological analysis with field-based community research, data are gathered from thirty interviews with church leaders, traditional chiefs, land tenure specialists, and land dispute parties across Imo, Anambra, and Ebonyi states. The study examines biblical concepts of land stewardship, covenantal land relationships, and jubilee land justice alongside Igbo concepts of ala (earth deity), ana (ancestral land covenant), and communal land inheritance. Findings indicate significant theological convergences between biblical and Igbo frameworks for understanding land as sacred trust rather than individual commodity. The study proposes a theology of land that frames the church as a moral authority in land reconciliation processes and recommends the training of church-based land mediation teams across Igboland. Keywords: theology of land, communal land disputes, Igbo communities, South East Nigeria, contextual theology