Abstract
The author focuses on evaluating the rights of parties in legal mortgage under Nigerian land jurisprudence, aimed at a critical examination of the significance of legal mortgage as applicable to Nigerian land law. The specific objectives are an analysis of the conceptual foundation of mortgage, to examine the legal framework of mortgage, and to assess the impacts of legal mortgage in Nigerian land law. These also defined the scope and limitation of the study. The research design and methodology adopt the doctrinal approach, using analytical and descriptive research methodology. The main sources of data collection were primary and secondary sources from physical and e-library. The author found among others that legal mortgage involves execution under seal and the transfer of the legal title from the mortgagor to the mortgagee subject to the mortgagor’s right of redemption which is a right to a reconveyance on payment of the mortgage monies in accordance with the covenants in the mortgage. Sequel to these, the author recommended among others that the Land Use Act should be amended to cover the loopholes for clarity on the meaning of a Right of Occupancy. This would effectively protect the rights of the parties.