IGBO, NIGERIAN CIVIL WAR AND THE ISSUE OF ABANDONED PROPERTY IN SOUTHERN KATSINA, 1967-1987

Abstract

Igbo is one of the major ethnic groups in Nigeria that established close contact and relations with the Hausa people in southern Katsina. They were attracted to southern Katsina due to European infrastructure, such as European commercial firms and railways. From the onset, the relationship was cordial, but it became sour with the outbreak of the Nigerian civil war in 1967. Many Igbo were compelled to leave the region for their homeland, a reason that undoubtedly made them abandon their properties. Immediately after the war, the Igbo returned to the region significantly to recover their abandoned properties. Using both the primary and secondary sources, the paper discusses the Igbo immigration into southern Katsina, the impact of the Nigerian civil war on the Igbo in the region and the issue of abandoned property, which was one of the contentious issues among the Igbo, especially during the post-war period. This issue has attracted many scholarly discourse, though it was addressed with consideration and humility in southern Katsina. Consequently, traditional institutions' efforts to keep the Igbo properties in their absence are worth reckoning, while others were left under the care of friends and business associates. The paper found that most returning Igbo have successfully recovered, especially their landed properties, while the moveable properties were looted or damaged in transit.