Abia, C’River boundary issue gets worse, with one dead and 10 injured.
One person was killed and at least ten people were injured in a border dispute that occurred between the Isu village in Abia State and the Ukwa community in Cross River State between Friday and Saturday.
The villages of Ukwa in the Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River State and Isu in the Arochukwu Local Government Area of Abia State had been at odds with one another.
After a farmer named Blessing Elem was killed in an attack on Friday by members of the neighboring Ukwa village, our correspondent learned that the border dispute had been going on for a while.
A second attack by members of the Ukwa community occurred on Saturday, hurting an unknown number of persons.
The attack occurred on Friday, and a woman who was going to get water was slain, according to Eze Linus Nto, the chairman of the Abia State Traditional Rulers Council, who confirmed the occurrence.
They attempted to strike again on Saturday, but the villagers and the Army’s mobile police force were able to pursue them. That bus included some fatalities in addition to injuries.
The Abia State Police Command confirmed the incident in a statement issued through Maureen Chinaka, its Police Public Relations Officer. She said, “Yes, we received a report yesterday, May 11, 2024, around 5.45am of an attack on Ike-Isu community in Arochukwu by armed civilians suspected to be from Ukwa village, Odukpani Local Government Area.”
Ten or so young people from Ike-Isu village were injured in the incident and are presently undergoing medical attention. The region is under observation, and everything is quiet.
The governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, asked for calm during a visit to the Isu town on Saturday in order to assess the severity of the attack. He pledged that his government would safeguard the lives and property of the community’s population.
The governor, who was accompanied by Deputy Governor Ikechukwu Emetu, also mandated that gunshot victims be taken right away to a specialized hospital for treatment, with the state government covering the associated costs.
The governor expressed his condolences to the victim’s family as well.
Along with the deputy governor were the Army Unit Commander, Arochukwu Local Government Area, a medical team, the state commissioner of police, Kenechukwu Onwuemelie, and the divisional police officer.
Emetu stated, “The government is collaborating with the security agencies to make sure that checkpoints are installed at all entry points into Isu and that a patrol team is formed. The governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, is saddened over this offensive act and encourages you to remain calm.”
In addition to other places in the state with interstate border disputes, he gave the community assurances about the government’s intention to demonstrate its presence there by repairing access roads to boundaries up to the beach, which acts as a natural boundary feature.
Teddy Kalu, Nicholas Kalu, President-General of the Obieze and Ike Isu communities, and Eze Augustine Igwe, the traditional ruler of the Isu Autonomous Community, were all praised by the governor for their maturity in handling the crisis.
Speaking during the tour, Kalu said that the Cross Rivers people were pursuing the vast limestone deposits in the Abia village, despite the Isu people’s reputation for peace.
He lamented the state’s previous governments’ inability to advance the region’s infrastructure and economy.
By erecting a security camp on the Isu road that leads to the beach (boundary), Eze Igwe expressed gratitude to the governor for his visit and made a plea for ongoing security in the region.
