Ikwuano/obot Akara Border Skirmishes: Senator Akobundu Urges Peace Amid Clash Between Abia And Akwa Ibom

Senator Austin Akobundu, who represents the Abia Central Senatorial district, has asked for calmness from both sides in the wake of the ongoing border clashes and the recent brutal killing of an indigenous person from Ariam Usaka Community in Ikwuano LGA of Abia State by gunmen from nearby Isie-Kwen, Ikrokwum, and Abama Communities in Obot Akara LGA of Akwa Ibom State due to a boundary dispute last Sunday.

Otutubuike Innocent, 38, who was killed by the gunmen from the Akwa Ibom communities that tragic day was part of the search party organized by Ariam Usaka Community to find Ebene Emele, another young person from their area.

The residents of the three towns are said to have abducted Emele from the disputed territory a few days prior.

During his Sunday visit to Ariam Usaka and the deceased’s rural home in Ariam, Senator Akobundu bemoaned the ongoing death toll at the controversial Ndurukpe farms and demanded an end to the senseless killings.

In his words;

“When I was alerted by the Chairman of Ikwuano LGA over the ugly incident last Sunday, I did not waste time to inform the Senate President, His Excellency Godswill Akpabio who himself, as a peace loving man, swung into action. He immediately set up a small team that would see to the resolution of the matter so that this unwarranted destruction of human lives would stop.

“I have also been discussing with Hon Obi Aguocha, representing Ikwuano/Umuahia North/Umuahia South Federal constituency and my friend, Hon Patrick Umoh representing Ikot Ekpene/Essien Udim/Obot Akara Federal constituency. Both of them have shown great interest in resolving the matter and I can assure you that this issue will be resolved amicably and under the directive of the Senate President”, he told the community.

“I and the relevant stakeholders would put heads together and ensure that peace reigns at last. You will be briefed at every level. What is important is peace and resolution of the matter. We’re determined to go extra length to resolve this Ariam Usaka crisis. Be rest assured that I’ll not disappoint you”, he assured.

Thus, he promised to help the deceased’s widow and her four children, and thereafter gave them a cash gift.

The continuous and unjustified attacks against certain villages in Ikwuano by the residents of Obot Akara and Ini LGAs of Akwa Ibom State, as well as their ongoing devastation of their farm harvests, were deemed unacceptable by Dr. Anthony Nwaubani, the mayor of Ikwuano LGA, in his response.

As a result, he urged the appropriate authorities to discover the true border between Ikwuano and Akwa Ibom State’s neighbors, which he claims is more than a century old.

The residents of Isie-Ikwen, Ikrokwum, and Abama Communities in Obot Akara LGA were previously accused by Chief Charles Ugboaja, President General of the Ariam Usaka Development Union, of disregarding the natural boundary that their ancestors had accepted and adopted.

He further claimed that they were now intruding into “our farmland at Okporo” by crossing over to the Nduruikpe area. HRH Eze Joseph Obaji, the chairman of the Ariam Usaka Council of Traditional Rulers and the monarch of the Ikemba Autonomous Community, demanded that the Boundary Commission and a Federal Government delegation that had previously determined that the disputed area belonged to Ariam Usaka be put into effect.

He explained that the results gave the limit as follows:“after the army post if you are coming from Ikwuano and before the army post if you are coming from Ikot Ekpene”.

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