MAKURDI— BENUE State deputy governor, Chief Ogiri Ajene, has called on the National Boundary Commission to urgently resolve the boundary dispute between the people of Ngbo and Agila in Ebonyi and Benue states by demarcating the boundary that was traced out in 2001. Ajene who declared open the joint meeting of officials from Ebonyi, Benue and the National BoundaryCommission on Thursday, said lives and property were lost in the recent attacks on Agila."We had earlier met but the crisis persisted".
The National Boundary Commission should demarcate the boundary as a matter of urgency because this is the only solution to the problem. However, boundary lines should be seen as bridges of contacts between the states. I appeal to the border communities to exercise restrain", Ajene stressed.He commended the local governments, the two state governments and the boundary commission for their efforts towards resolving the dispute and said the situation at the boundary was unacceptable to the two state governments.
In his address at the meeting, the deputy governor of Ebonyi state, Dr Chigozie Ogbu, said apart from the boundary demarcation, there should be integration between the people of Agila and Ngbo in Benue and Ebonyi states. Dr Ogbu called on the Federal Government to construct a road between the two states so as to facilitate integration and suggested further that issues relating to the boundary dispute should be discussed at the meeting with open minds. According to him, the sporadic attacks on Agila people were carried out by bad eggs. He stressed the need for the two states to check further attacks, saying "we are one, the solution is a matter of no victor no vanquished".
He reminded officials of the two states and the boundary commission of the communiquee issued at the end of the meeting held at Abakiliki and expressed the need for those concerned with the matter to uphold the spirit of brotherhood.
The Internal Boundaries Commissioner at the National Boundaries Commission, Professor A E Ekeko, said at the opening of the meeting that boundary demarcation between the two states was made difficult because Benue, Ebonyi and Enugu states identified different boundary lines between Benue and Ebonyi states.
He expressed the hope that a solution would be found to the problem at the meeting and remarked thus : "You think you own the land, but you and land who owns who? Land gives you food and other items which helps you to live a full life up to 70, 80, 90, 100 years and above when you pray that your ancestors should call you and God finally calls you. You claim that you own the land but when God finally telephones you, the land swallows you. The land you claim to own you really don’t own it. You go about killing fellow human beings over what you don’t own. You own land temporarily, the land owns you permanently".
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