Nkechinyere Ewa-Okpara
A large group of women from the Ishinkwo Autonomous Community in the Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi State staged a peaceful protest on Monday.
They are voicing their concerns over alleged fraudulent activities by government officials involved in the ongoing land demarcation exercise between their community and the neighbouring Abaomege community.
However, the local government chairman, Ikechukwu Ogbofia, has urged both communities to embrace peace, noting that the Abaomege community has lost over 100 individuals.
The women marched to the old government house in Abakaliki to express their dissatisfaction with what they believe is a flawed demarcation process.
They carried various placards with messages such as:
“Gov. Nwifuru, father of the State, please come to our aid,” and “Where is the map attached to the white paper?” “Enough is enough to land grabbing, follow the white paper,” “Ekeroku, stop taking sides and be neutral,” “Return Ugwuekuma Primary School to Ishinkwo; it’s our ancient landmark,”
“Return Uda Iyiocha to Ishinkwo; it’s our land,” and “Ogboffia is trying to grab more lands for his community; it’s unfair.” Others included accusations of injustice regarding the Ishinkwo Military PIN-DOWN that has been ceded to Abaomege.
After their protest at the government house, the women also marched to the State House of Assembly complex in Nkaliki to present their complaints to state lawmakers.
They accused Mr Ikechukwu Ogboffia, the Council Chairman of Onicha LGA, of allegedly conspiring with the land demarcation committee to take Ishinkwo’s land for the benefit of the Abaomege community.
In an open letter addressed to Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru and signed by Mrs. Fidelia Nworie, the National President of the Women Wing of the Ishinkwo Community Development Union (ICDU), along with 12 other women, they claimed that the demarcation exercise is fundamentally flawed and biased. They expressed concern that this could undermine the government’s peace-building efforts and called for the Governor’s intervention.
The women accused the Deputy Surveyor General of the State, Mr. Ekeroku, of conducting the demarcation without referencing the white paper, which serves as the legal basis for the exercise, rendering it illegal, null, and void. They argued that “No one can place something on nothing and expect it to stand.”
“The demarcation is being executed without reference to the white paper, the legal basis of the exercise. This makes the exercise illegal, null, and void,” they stated. They emphasized that the survey map, a critical component of the white paper, has also been disregarded by Mr. Ekeroku. Despite their requests, he has refused to make the map available for guiding the demarcation, relying instead on intuition.
They further claimed that while Mr. Ekeroku may be withholding the map from both communities, the Onicha Local Government Chairman, Mr. Ikechukwu Ogbofia, an Abaomege native, has possession of it. “Not even our Traditional Ruler has this document! If this is not partiality, we wonder what is,”.
The six swamplands in dispute are mentioned in the white paper, but the demarcation has inexplicably extended to include their uplands, ancient buildings, historical landmarks, and old primary schools—all of which have been fraudulently ceded to Abaomege by Mr Ekeroku in collusion with Mr Ogbofia.
The women highlighted that Mr. Ogbofia often goes to the boundary sites and arbitrarily declares the boundary locations. “It was during one of those visits that he and Mr. Ekeroku drove into our area and marked our old primary school and the Military PIN-DOWN funded by our community for allocation to Abaomege,” they explained.
While they acknowledged Mr Ogbofia’s call for peace, they reminded him that their community had been cut off from the National Grid by Abaomege for years. “Where then is the peace he preaches?” they demanded.
The visibly upset women are calling for the survey map, as stipulated by the white paper, to be produced for both communities. They believe this will eliminate doubts about the demarcation and allow them to monitor compliance. They also called on the Governor to replace Mr Ekeroku, the leader of the Demarcation Committee, to ensure transparency and restore trust in the process.
Additionally, they demanded the reversal of cessions regarding their ancient buildings, landmarks, primary school, and the Military PIN-DOWN, which they believe were ceded to Abaomege by error. They urged the Local Government Chairman to approach the exercise with impartiality moving forward and to reconnect them to the National Grid if he is sincere about his message of peace.
“The actions of Mr. Ekeroku and Mr. Ogbofia have not only undermined the peace process but have also created an atmosphere of mistrust and suspicion,” they concluded, requesting the Governor’s attention to their concerns.
But reacting to the protest, the council chairman, Ogbofia Ikechukwu, appealed to the protesters to embrace peace, noting that even if the government demarcates the disputed land, it will bring lasting peace to the two communities.
“We can’t keep on killing ourselves. And then, I think, by God’s grace, if this demarcation is completed, I think that every one of us will have every reason to say thank you, Jesus, and to say thank you to His Excellency. (6:30) And then, for Ishinkwo and Abaomege people, peace is better than war.
“Peace is better than war I can recall that over five years or six years, the one that I witnessed, over a hundred and something persons have died in Abaomege. I don’t know of Ishinkwo. A lot of souls.
“Should we continue killing ourselves because of a piece of land? I know that land is not worth it. Okay, if you are asked to buy the land, you can’t buy it for even 10 million Naira. So, that is it.
“So, I’m begging Ishinkwo and Abaomege people to make peace. He said.
Donatus Illang the commissioner for border peace in the state who addressed the women at the old government house urged the women to return to their different homes and that the the government will look into it using the already existing white paper.