The Ebonyi State Government has waded into the boundary dispute between some villages in Ehugbo community and their neighbouring villages in Amasiri community both in Afikpo North LGA due to overlapping land boundary claims, and disputed Community Development Agreement involving some foreign mining operators in the area.
The State Commissioner for Border Peace and Conflict Resolution Prof Paul Awo Nwobasi while addressing a peace mediation meeting held with the stakeholders of the two communities in his office conference hall, Old Government House, Abakaliki announced the determination of Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru to restore lasting peace in the area and pledged to conduct physical site visits and utilize authenticated colonial land archives to fairly resolve the ancestral boundary claims.
According to him, the Ministry will liaise with the authorities of Afikpo North Local Government Council to fix dates for the fact finding and assessment of the claims by both communities to ensure a fair and transparent resolution of the dispute and appealed to both communities to feel free to bring to his office any true document that would help to bring lasting solution to the contested land.
He reiterated the state government’s commitment to resolving all boundary disputes through dialogue, due process, and professional surveys, maintaining that lasting peace remains essential to the state’s continued development.
The Chairman of Afikpo LGA, Engr Timothy Nwachi, represented by his Vice, Mrs Chinyere Egwu, The Coordinator of Afikpo Development Center, Mr. Raphael Nwokoro, and his counterpart from Amasiri Development Center, Mr Baron Ogbonna commended the two communities for their peaceful conduct during the meeting and appealed to the government to expedite actions by embarking on inspection of the disputed land and conduct technical mapping of the contested area to enable the two communities have their permanent boundaries.
In an acceptance speech, representatives from the two communities which included, the Chairman of Essa Ehugbo Elders Ruling Council, Chief Maurice Isu, a Stakeholder from Ehugbo Community, Barr Agha Ewa and their Counterpart from Amasiri, the Secretary of Essa Amasiri Elders Ruling Council, Chief Okechukwu Onya, a Stakeholder, Chief Udu Chukwu, while narrating the origin of the land disputes, urged government to use the already existing captured paper from the archive together with the present observation on ground after the fact finding visit as a working document to actualize government objectives.
Community Leaders from the two parties attended the mediation.
Concerned about the claims of the Amasiri community that they own the timber shade at the Afikpo/Amasiri junction and beyond and the fact that Afikpo people see Amasiri as their brothers and wouldn’t want to be involved in any skirmishes with them, the Afikpo community made a submission to Governor Francis Nwifuru. In the report Afikpo drew attention to the correct boundaries which predated the period of the eastern region and requested that any encroachment by Amasiri wouldn’t be in the interest in peace
