EVALUATION OF TRADITIONAL RULERS' ROLE IN RESOLVING INTER-COMMUNAL, INTER-ETHNIC, AND BOUNDARY DISPUTES IN THE NIGER DELTA

This study evaluated the role of traditional rulers in resolving inter-communal, inter-ethnic, and boundary disputes in the Niger Delta. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey research design. The study population included all community leaders, women leaders, ex-militants, youth leaders, and religious leaders in the three selected Niger Delta States, namely, Rivers, Delta, and Bayelsa, from which a sample size of 400 was determined. Data collection was carried out using in-depth interviews and a questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using percentage, means, and weighted mean score (WMS). The results revealed that traditional rulers leveraged their institutional legitimacy and cultural authority to mediate conflicts and sustain peace agreements in the Niger Delta communities (WMS = 3.389 > 2.50). The results also revealed that traditional rulers play a crucial and critical role in resolving inter-communal, inter-ethnic, and boundary disputes in the Niger Delta through effective collaboration with formal judicial and security institutions to ensure sustainable resolution of communal and ethnic conflicts (WMS = 3.339 > 2.50), preventing the escalation of inter-communal and inter-ethnic tensions through early intervention and customary conflict prevention mechanisms (WMS = 3.50 > 2.50), and initiating reconciliation ceremonies and restorative justice practices, which significantly contribute to lasting peace and social cohesion after inter-communal and boundary disputes in the Niger Delta (WMS = 3.32 > 2.50). It was concluded that traditional rulers employ a distinctive repertoire of peace-building tools rooted in customary law, ritual symbolism, and restorative justice. Mechanisms such as public deliberation, oath-taking ceremonies, and the invocation of ancestral sanctions function not as primitive alternatives to modern jurisprudence but as culturally resonant processes that prioritize social cohesion over retribution.