Abstract:
Studies of land grab in Africa are growing. However, there are noticeable gaps
in its treatment. The historical garb of current land grab has received scant
attention in the literature. This is because emerging studies present land grab as
the result of recent food and climate crises. Although a few studies liken
incipient land grab to colonial land appropriation, discussions on the theme
remain obscure. This paper situates land grab in the colonial context. It captures
the efforts of colonial authorities to resolve the land question it created on the
eve of colonialism through administrative measures and a range of incoherent
land policies. Rather than resolve the land question, the policies further
complicated and promoted land grab and conflicts in colonial Southeastern
Nigeria.
