BENIN

Inter-group relations is “whenever individuals belonging to one group, interact collectively or individually, with another group or its members in terms of their group identification,”.1 Inter-group relations imply therefore, the existence of mutually exclusive groups that are in constant interaction with one another. The study of Inter- group relations is significant because it reveals the fact that the communities in Nigeria and Africa in general were not disunited nor isolated from each other; they related with each other before colonial conquest.2 Works on Inter-group relations debunks the euro- centric view that Africans were uncivilized and barbaric, and that no meaningful interaction took place within the region prior to the arrival of Europeans.3 However, there exist several literature on this subject. These available materials examine the various patterns and nature of interactions which existed in Africa among Nigerian communities in particular. In Nigeria, the various communities cooperated and had meaningful intercourse before the advent of Europeans colonialism. The interactions among the communities were dynamic in nature. It was a robust and diversified relations. There were socio-cultural, political and economic relations.