Renewed Ebonyi, Abia boundary dispute

Renewed Ebonyi, Abia boundary dispute – One person was shot dead and many injured in renewed clashes between Ishiagu community in Ivo local government area of Ebonyi state and Lokpanta community, Umunochi LGA of the neighboring Abia state over boundary dispute premiumtimesng reports

Also one person identified as Chukwuma Akwa was declared missing.

The renewed boundary dispute between the two neighboring states has spanned more than 60 years and appears to have remained intractable.

According to premiumtimesng , Oliver Ossi, representing Ivo state constituency, raised the alarm in a motion of urgent public importance on Thursday plenary of the Ebonyi State Assembly.

He noted that the renewed boundary dispute between the two communities was generating a concern and needed urgent and expedited action to quell the situation before it worsens.

Mr. Ossi said, “When we got a report that one person from our community has been shot dead and one Chukwuma Akwa declared missing, we alerted the police but these people went further to attack a company trying to do a bypass and carted away their working tools and took them to their place.

“This land dispute has lasted for over 50 years and I remember that when we were in the south-eastern region, there was a boundary settlement committee set up by the then south-eastern region government headed by one S. W. Holland around May 1949.

“In that committee, there were over 17 members and the committee resolved that a place called Ekenyi should be the boundary between us and Lokpanta community.

“The people of Lokpanta in 1950 reneged on the resolution of the committee and decided to challenge the matter in the High court sitting in Owerri and the judgment delivered by Justice Egbuna ruled in our favour and further directed that there should be delineation of the boundary.”

The lawmaker said efforts several times to invite the National Boundary Commission to delineate the disputed boundary in the past have proved abortive.

He recalled that the former Secretary to the Federal Government, Pius Anyim, had personally written to the Boundary Commission in the past inviting it to come and delineate the boundary but the commission was yet to honour the invitation.

“Also several high powered committees had been set up in the past to resolve the matter to no avail”.

Mr. Ossi condemned the continuous invasion by people from Abia state into the territory of Ishiagu community in Ivo LGA of Ebonyi state, describing it as unacceptable to the people and illegal.

In response, the state House of Assembly set up a 7-man committee immediately to be headed by Chris Usulor representing Ezza south state constituency to wade into the dispute before it worsens.

The speaker, Ogbannaya Nwifuru, while announcing the members of the committee during the plenary, disclosed that he had contacted the speaker of Abia state House of Assembly on the matter and that the committee set up would liaise with the one to be constituted by their Abia Assembly to find a lasting solution to the dispute.