Ebonyi Land Dispute: Ishinkwo Women Protest Alleged bias in Demarcation Exercise

Hundreds of women from Ishinkwo Autonomous Community in Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi State staged a peaceful protest on Monday, accusing government officials of fraudulent activities in the ongoing land demarcation exercise between their community and the neighboring Abaomege.

The women, mostly elderly, marched to the Ebonyi Government House in Abakaliki, carrying placards with inscriptions such as “Gov Nwifuru, please come to our aid,” “Enough is enough to land grabbing, follow the white paper,” and “Return Ugwuekuma Primary School to Ishinkwo, it’s our ancient landmark.” They later proceeded to the Ebonyi State House of Assembly to express their grievances before lawmakers, insisting that the process had been manipulated against their community.

In an open letter addressed to Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, signed by the National President of the Women’s Wing of Ishinkwo Community Development Union (ICDU), Mrs. Fidelia Nworie, and 12 others, the protesters alleged that the demarcation exercise was fundamentally flawed and biased in favor of Abaomege. They accused the Deputy Surveyor-General of the state, Mr. Ekeroku, of carrying out the exercise without adhering to the government-issued White Paper, which was supposed to serve as the legal framework for the resolution of the long-standing land dispute. The women further claimed that the official survey map, a key component of the White Paper, had been deliberately withheld from Ishinkwo leaders while being made available to the Onicha Local Government Chairman, Mr. Ikechukwu Ogbofia, an Abaomege native.

“The demarcation is being carried out without reference to the White Paper, which renders it illegal, null, and void. No one can place something on nothing and expect it to stand,” the letter read.

The protesters expressed concerns that the demarcation had gone beyond the disputed swamplands mentioned in the White Paper, extending into upland areas, ancient landmarks, and community-built structures. They alleged that Ugwuekuma Primary School and a military pin-down station, both built by the Ishinkwo community, had been wrongly ceded to Abaomege in what they described as a clear act of land grabbing.

According to the women, the Onicha Local Government Chairman frequently visited the site and arbitrarily dictated boundary locations, further raising suspicions of political interference in the process. They also accused Abaomege residents of cutting Ishinkwo off from the national power grid for years, questioning the sincerity of the peace efforts being promoted by local government authorities.

The protesters demanded the immediate release of the official survey map to both communities to ensure transparency in the demarcation process. They also called for the removal of Mr. Ekeroku as the head of the Demarcation Committee, insisting that his continued involvement had eroded trust in the exercise. Additionally, they urged the state government to reverse any wrongly ceded Ishinkwo properties, including their ancient landmarks, primary school, and military facility.

The women further called on the Onicha Local Government Chairman to act impartially and take necessary steps to restore Ishinkwo’s access to electricity as a gesture of genuine peace-building.

“The actions of Mr. Ekeroku and Mr. Ogbofia have undermined the peace process and created mistrust. We urge Governor Nwifuru to intervene and uphold fairness in the demarcation process,” the women stated.

As of the time of filing this report, the Ebonyi State Government had yet to respond to the protest, but the escalating controversy surrounding the land dispute is expected to attract further attention from state authorities and key stakeholders involved in the peace process.