From Jude Chinedu, Enugu
An intractable land dispute between Isienu-Amagunze in Nkanu East Local Government Area and Ndiuno Akpugo in Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State has been peacefully resolved by the State Boundary Committee.
The conflict, which nearly escalated into violence last December, followed allegations by residents of Isienu-Amagunze that the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Chief Uche Nnaji, had encroached on their land under the pretext of executing a federal project.
According to them, the project was a renewed attempt to take over farmland that had been unsuccessfully claimed four years earlier.
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-1718806029429-0’); });
Tensions heightened when bulldozers invaded over six hectares of cassava and yam plantations owned by local farmers in Isienu-Amagunze.
However, swift intervention by the Enugu State Government prevented what could have been a bloody communal clash.
The heartwarming development was unveiled by the State Boundary Committee through its findings released on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, which affirmed the demarcation between the two communities.
According to the committee’s report, “the boundary between both communities is the point demarcated by a seasonal stream known as the Iyi-Ezi stream bordering the Akpugo community and Isienu-Amagunze community,” which also serves as the current administrative boundary between Nkanu East and Nkanu West LGAs.
The announcement was made at the Government House, Enugu, in the presence of representatives from the disputing communities—Ndiuno-Uwani Akpugo, Ndiagu-Uwani Akpugo, and Isienu-Amagunze—as well as key government officials.
Among those who witnessed the event were the Commissioner for Chieftaincy, Local Government and Rural Development, Okey Ogbodo; representatives of the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice and the State Surveyor General; Secretary of the Committee, Solomon Ejim; and the Chairman of the State Traditional Rulers Council, Igwe Ikechukwu Asadu.
Reacting to the decision, the member representing Nkanu East Constituency in the State House of Assembly, Anthony Mbah, praised the verdict, saying that it “aligns with the position of the Isienu-Amagunze community to the boundary committee as to where the true boundary is.”
Mbah noted that the ruling contradicted the claim by the Akpugo community, which argued that the boundary should lie beyond the Nkanu East Local Government headquarters at the Atavu River.
On behalf of the Isienu-Amagunze stakeholders, he expressed deep appreciation to Governor Peter Mbah for what he described as the “historic resolution” of the decades-long boundary conflict.
He further highlighted that “the swift intervention of the state government had averted what could have resulted in a bloody communal conflict between the two neighbouring communities.”
The post Enugu averts bloodshed over boundary dispute appeared first on The Sun Nigeria.
