The National Boundary Commission has decried incessant loss of lives to the lingering interstate boundary dispute between Abia and Akwa Ibom states.

The Director-General of the commission, Adamu Adaji, expressed the concern during stakeholders’ meeting to resolve the dispute in Abuja on Wednesday.

Mr Adaji regretted that valuable lives had been lost to r different perceptions and claims to the interstate boundary between Abia and Akwa Ibom states in the past.

“It is sad to note with regret that valuable lives had been lost due to the differences of perception and claims over the Abia and Akwa Ibom interstate boundary in the past.

“This is something that must be stopped by all of us,” he said.

The DG called for peaceful and amicable resolution to the dispute, adding that the NBC was determined to chart a pathway in the ongoing efforts to clearly define the interstate boundary.

He said that the meeting was organised to find a lasting solution to the Abia and Akwa Ibom interstate boundary dispute.

Mr Adaji expressed confidence that with strengthened collaboration between the states and the NBC, the security and well-being of the people would be assured.

This, he said, would create a path that would engender peace and progress for the states and the country.

He added, “As managers of boundaries, we must work tirelessly to foster peace and mutual understanding among affected communities, especially those living across the administrative boundary lines,” he said.

He stressed the need for people to know that boundary lines were established for administrative convenience.

He added that the lines only meant to denote the limits of different administrative jurisdictions and not to separate communities from one another.

He described the interstate boundary as not just a line that separates two states, but a line that has bearing on the lives of the affected border communities with economic, legal and social implications.

Also speaking, Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom, Senator Akon Eyakenyi, said that the stakeholders’ meeting was critical to resolving the boundary dispute between the two neighbouring states.

Mr Eyakenyi stated, “We assure the entire boundary management team and the stakeholders of our support, cooperation and contribution toward the success of the field exercise and final resolution of the dispute. This is critical to ensuring peaceful co-existence among the neighbouring communities.

On his part, the Deputy Governor of Abia, Mr Ikechukwu Emetu, described the lingering dispute as a “cankerworm” that needs to be eradicated.

“Much time and enormous materials and funds have been invested in this project. Unfortunately, the prospects for resolution seem to be vague. On a very sad note, the Abia State government is not happy with the skirmishes inherent among the border communities.

“It is our belief that the resolution of the disputes will bring an end to it and the step taken by the NBC to resolve the dispute was heart-warming and highly desired by the people of Abia,” he said.

The boundary in question was part of the former Cross River/Imo interstate boundary, approximately 275 kilometres in length.

The boundary has tripoints at Abia, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states in the north and Abia and Akwa Ibom and Rivers in the south.

The Federal Government had promulgated Decree 23 of 1985, to adjust the boundary on the recommendations of the Kaloma Ali Boundary Ascertainment Commission as a starting point of the boundary.

However, the directive for the demarcation with the emplacement of permanent boundary pillars was not implemented.

The NBC DG explained that the challenges have always been the dearth of clear delimitation instruments or the non-clarity of them where they exist.

Other challenges, he said, included the deliberate efforts to misinterpret the documents by stakeholders or their failure to accept them.

(NAN)