The National Boundary Commission (NBC) has asked Cross River and Ebonyi stakeholders to assist in continuing efforts to demarcate the interstate boundary. Mr Adamu Adaji, the commission’s Director-General, made the plea on Monday in Abuja at a joint meeting of officials from both states to address the persistent interstate border dispute.
Adaji noted that the conference was called to examine the status of the boundary and to consider the next steps toward its defining and delimitation. He stated that the states’ interstate boundary issue dates back several years. He added that the border villages are frequently engulfed in misunderstanding and turmoil as a result of the land dispute and indigenous settler duality.
He blamed the ongoing conflicts on non-determination and demarcation of the interstate boundary, calling it one of Nigeria’s problematic interstate boundaries with a high potential of endangering peace. The crisis on the boundary necessitated the interventions of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and his vice, Mr Atiku Abubakar, at different times. The Federal Government was also compelled to draft military personnel to the sectors of the boundary in 2005 to maintain peace.
