Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Tuesday intervened in the bloody clashes among border communities of Ebonyi, Cross River and Akwa Ibom States.
The meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, dealt with the issues at the root of the crises.
At the meeting were Governors Dave Umahi (Ebonyi), Ben Ayade (Cross River) and Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom) and officials of the National Boundary Commission, The Nation reports.
The governors in a ‘not-so cheerful’ countenance, as they emerged from the meeting suggested that no amicable resolution of the disputes had been reached.
Also, presidency officials prevented journalists from speaking to the governors, who also appeared unprepared to speak on the outcome of the peace meeting.
A statement by the Senior Special Assistant on media and publicity, Laolu Akande, said that Prof. Osinbajo met with the Governors of Cross Rivers, Senator Ben Ayade; Akwa Ibom, Mr Emmanuel Udom and Ebonyi States, Mr Dave Umahi, alongside top officials of the National Boundary Commission, led by the Director-General, Dr Muhammad Ahmad, to review updates on boundary and boundary demarcation issues.
Recent reports showed that about 20 people were killed in a clash between people of Oku Iboku in Itu Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom and those of Ikot Offiong in Odukpani LGA in Cross River State over boundary demarcation.
The people of Ikot-Offiong community had in the aftermath written a letter to the Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant-Gen. Tukur Buratai and the Inspector General of Police Ibrahim Idris to investigate the activities of the soldiers and policemen posted to the area to foster peace.
Similarly, Governor Umahi had previously appealed to the Federal Government to quickly intervene and provide a permanent solution in settling a similar boundary dispute between the people of Azuofia Idda in Ebonyi and Ohene in Cross River states, which had claimed many lives.
He made the appeal when the General Officer Commanding 82 Division, Enugu, Maj.-Gen. Adamu Abubakar, briefed him on the outcome of the surveillance of the two communities at Government House, Abakaliki.
Umahi advocated a security meeting where the military commanders of both states and heads of other security agents would be in attendance.
He had said that “the problem between Cross River and Ebonyi states is quite known and unfortunately, the problem of the boundary in our country is quite funny. Nobody is really taking any definite action”.
