The long-standing interstate boundary dispute involving Ette community has intensified as stakeholders representing the area have formally rejected the Enugu State Government’s statement dismissing reports that the National Boundary Commission (NBC) affirmed Ette as belonging to Kogi State.
In a detailed rejoinder issued through Crownfield Solicitors and signed by Chief Festus Ameh Ogwuche, PhD, the Ette community described the Enugu State Government’s position as misleading, legally weak and unsupported by formal boundary
records.
The Bureau News: Community Challenges Enugu State’s ‘Fake News’ Narrative
According to the rejoinder, Enugu State’s public defense rests only on an alleged “oral denial” attributed to the Director-General of the NBC. The statement insists that no written retraction, circular, or authenticated official communication exists to counter NBC findings already backed by structured boundary procedures.
The Ette stakeholders stressed that the boundary position did not arise from a single letter but from years of comprehensive fieldwork, ethnographic assessments, scientific boundary tracing, and technical delineation exercises supervised by the NBC and the Office of the Surveyor General of the Federation in line with a Supreme Court directive.
The exercises confirmed Ette’s location within Kogi State jurisdiction while accusing Enugu State of persistent unlawful territorial encroachment.
Nigeria News Today: Evidence Points to Kogi State Jurisdiction
The legal team revealed that boundary activities were jointly undertaken with full participation of both states, including Enugu officials who allegedly endorsed earlier boundary positions. However, when the final demarcation phase was scheduled, Enugu State reportedly failed to participate on several occasions, citing logistics and funding constraints.
The community argued that a state that repeatedly avoided demarcation exercises cannot later depend on political press releases to distort established boundary facts.
Calls for Action
Stakeholders demanded that:
1. Enugu State Government should produce verifiable documentary evidence or desist from misinformation.
2. The National Boundary Commission should conclude the demarcation exercise without further delay.
3. Authorities in Enugu should cease administrative interference in Ette pending final boundary enforcement.
The rejoinder maintained that Ette’s true territorial identity is grounded on verifiable law, maps, history and factual administrative records rather than political narratives.
The Bureau News will continue to monitor developments surrounding this sensitive interstate boundary issue as the National Boundary Commission moves forward with its mandate.Source:
