The Delta State Government has appealed for calm following renewed tension between the Ibusa and Ogwashi-Uku communities over a protracted boundary dispute.
The call was made on Monday when members of the Ibusa community staged a peaceful protest to the Government House in Asaba, accusing their neighbours in Ogwashi-Uku of encroaching on land they insist has been legally affirmed as theirs by the courts.
The demonstrators, drawn from Ibusa in Oshimili North Local Government Area, carried placards bearing inscriptions such as “Ogwashi-Uku keep off from Ibusa land, we have Supreme Court verdict on the land,” “Implement Supreme Court judgment, Ibusa is a peaceful community,” and “Admiralty University is in Ibusa land, Ogwashi-Uku keep off.”
They urged the state government to enforce what they described as subsisting judicial pronouncements on the disputed boundary.
Addressing the protesters on behalf of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, the Chief of Staff, Government House, Asaba, Prince Johnson Erijo, commended the community for adopting a peaceful approach in presenting their grievances.
He disclosed that the state government had earlier received correspondence on the matter and had already initiated preliminary steps before the protest took place.
According to him, disputes of such magnitude are handled through established administrative and legal procedures, assuring the crowd that due process would be followed.
“As a government, there are laid-down procedures for addressing issues of this nature.
”We had received communication on this matter prior to today and necessary steps had already commenced even before the weekend,” Erijo stated.
He emphasised that the administration remains committed to preventing any breakdown of law and order, urging both Ibusa and Ogwashi-Uku communities to remain peaceful while the matter is being examined.
“The government will ensure that law and order is maintained.
”All concerns raised will be thoroughly reviewed, and at the end of the process, a decision will be reached that is fair, justifiable and in the best interest of peace and stability in the state,” he assured.
Earlier, speaking on behalf of the Ibusa community, Barrister Peter Lotobi described the disagreement as a long-standing boundary issue that, according to him, had already been conclusively settled by competent courts.
He recounted that the case was first determined by the High Court after due consideration of the boundary claims between the two communities.
Dissatisfied with the ruling, the opposing party appealed, but the Court of Appeal in 1982 upheld the initial judgment.
Lotobi further stated that the matter eventually reached the Supreme Court in Appeal No. SC.32/1985, where the apex court dismissed the appeal and affirmed the concurrent decisions of the lower courts.
Maintaining that Ibusa remained a peaceful and law-abiding community, he said community leaders had consistently urged youths to exercise restraint despite the lingering tensions.
He called on the Delta State Government to take decisive action to enforce the court judgments, stressing that doing so would safeguard justice and promote lasting peace between the neighbouring communities.
