Minorities’ land rights in Africa have been very complex because of the different socio economic and political dynamics which influence these rights. The different construction and implementation of minorities’ land rights by different communities in different circumstances have not only led to violent land disputes, but also to their denial, restriction and challenges in many African states. This study is situated within the scholarship on land and minorities. It explored the complexities and challenges encountered by landless minorities who seek to use minority land rights to claim customary land. It argues that minority land rights as a conception is still an illusion in the Northwest Region, as the use of minority land rights by landless minorities, like the Mbororos, to claim customary land in their communities still faces serious challenges. The study borrowed from Mamdani’s conception of the contradictions of customary rights in accessing land. By this, the study showed how minority land rights is denied the Mbororos because it conflicts with customary land rights. This concept best explains the complexities involved in the different land rights claim as the state and state citizenship runs parallel to customary citizenship. It introduces new realities about customary land rights in relation to minority land rights. The Mbororos despite being Cameroonian citizens, they lack the indigenous status to claim customary land rights in the Northwest Region. The study used three main concepts, minority land right, citizenship and customary land rights to bring out the complexities and tension created in a situation where these three concepts appear parallel in implementation. A case study approach was used in a land dispute between the Mbororo minorities and the Roman Catholic Church over land at the Mamada Hill in the Northwest Region of Cameroon. Qualitative research method of data collection was employed, both primary and secondary sources. Qualitative data analysis method was used. The study revealed the complexities of Customary land rights as its management is contradictory as it cannot be claimed by stranger minorities while in other scenarios it is claimed by strangers who have money and political connections. It shows that the Mbororos cannot claim customary land rights because they are not considered and recognised as the indigenous people of the region. The study has contributed to the understanding of the complexities of customary land rights as it dismisses stranger minorities land claims.