By Amechi Innocent, Abakaliki
The people of Ishinkwo community in Onicha local government area of Ebonyi State has cried to Governor Francis Nwifuru over the discrepancies arising from the boundary demarcation exercise between the community and Abaomege community of the state.
The Ishinkwo and Abaomege communities have been at daggers since 1902 over boundary matters which has claimed many lives.
The State Governor on the 17th day of July, 2023 inaugurated a peace committee chaired by late HRH Ezeogo Engr. Ewa Elechi to inquire into the remote and immediate causes of the long aged crises between Ishinkwo and Abaomege Autonomous Communities and made useful recommendations on the appropriate measures to finding lasting peace in the two communities.
The committee concluded its assignment in time and submitted its report to the State Government, embodied their findings and far-reaching resolutions and recommendations aimed at resolving the crises once and for all.
The State Government accepted all the recommendations of the committee and issued a white paper which has been gazette in tits official white paper on 22nd day of December, 2023.
But, the community in an open letter to Governor Nwifuru titled “an SOS in bending a rule and re-the short changing of Ishinkwo Community in the ongoing boundary demarcation exercise on the disputed lands between the community and Abaomege community” called for Governor’s intervention to restore lasting peace in the area.
The President General of Ishinkwo Community, Comrade Joseph Itumo and Youth President, Mr. Ndubuisi Awoh in a press briefing alleged that the boundary demarcation implementation committee had strived to conceal Governor’s sight and knowledge out of the process of the demarcation exercise and thereby jeopardized the procedure.
“We, the people of Ishinkwo Community, Onicha Local.Government Area, Ebonyi State, Nigeria, wish to thank and appreciate the Governor of Ebonyi State, Rt. Hon. Builder Francis Ogborina Nwifuru, for his dogged efforts aimed at maintaining peace and orderliness in every part of Ebonyi State.
“The purpose of this open letter is to draw the attention of His Excellency to the problem facing the boundary demarcation exercise as between Ishinkwo and Abaomege Communities which invariably is affecting Ishinkwo Community who depend on His Excellency to get the exercise balance on Justice and fairness.
“We wish to note that various complaint letters have been written to His Excellency by Ishinkwo Community, to inform him about the discrepancies arising from the ongoing boundary demarcation exercise.
“It is observed with dismay, that non of these reports has ever reached the table of His Excellency and that necessitates the writing of this open letter.
Paragraph 2 stated that Government should adopt the principle of fairness and equity in demarcating the disputed boundary between the two communities.
“While we said that the boundary demarcation exercise is full of influence, peculiar interest and nepotism there are points to buttress our observations. For instance, in the cause of the demarcation process where ever Abaomege Community claimed to be their boundary, the surveyors often hastily placed a caution tap and immediately order bulldozer operator to commence work on the acclaimed boundary, where as they fall deaf ear to the complaint of Ishinkwo Community. The action entails pure rape of justice.
“Your Excellency, according to paragraph 2 of the official gazette white paper mentioned above in paragraph 8 of this open letter to His Excellency in considering proximity, Iyocha swamp land is nearer to Abaomege Community, and it was ceded to them, whereas Ekerigwe and Agbechicha is situated in the hinter land of Ugwuokwe village in Ishinkwo Community, but the committee in contrary to the white paper, went on to demarcate the two swamp lands and thereby planning to carve out four sub – villages from Ishinkwo Community and cede them to Abaomege Community.
“And we have been living and farming, as well buried our forefathers in those sub-villages for decades, and our houses are still presently in the area.
“The boundary demarcation committee abandoned the use of the official gazette white paper and preferred to implement the old purported boundary of Abaomege Community, and discarded the idea that Ishinkwo Community equally has her boundary which passed through the axis of the boundary between Ebonyi Central and Ebonyl South, along Abakaliki to Afikpo Federal Road and terminated at Ebonyi River, head bridge, by the boundary between Ishinkwo Community Onicha L.G.A and Ohanwegu Akpuoha Community in Afikpo North Local Government Area of the State” community lamented.
