{"id":68648,"date":"2019-08-26T06:27:41","date_gmt":"2019-08-26T05:27:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=68648"},"modified":"2019-08-26T06:27:41","modified_gmt":"2019-08-26T05:27:41","slug":"abia-community-accuses-cross-river-deputy-gov-of-fueling-bloody-boundary-clash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/abia-community-accuses-cross-river-deputy-gov-of-fueling-bloody-boundary-clash\/","title":{"rendered":"ABIA COMMUNITY ACCUSES CROSS RIVER DEPUTY GOV OF FUELING BLOODY BOUNDARY CLASH"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
Following the boundary clash between Isu community in Arochukwu Local<\/div>\n
\n
Government Area of Abia Sate and their Utuma neighbours in Biase Local
\nGovernment Area of Cross River State Deputy governor; the Isu community
\nhas accused the Cross River State Deputy Governor, Prof. Ivara Esu, of
\nnot showing commitment to stop the raging boundary war.<\/p>\n

Pointblanknews.com gathered that a war had erupted between the two
\ncommunities following the discovery of limestone deposits in Isu
\ncommunity land which the Utuma people are also claiming ownership.
\nSources said the attacks began in 1989, as the two communities were in
\nthe Old Imo state. In 1995, another attack ensued following the
\nannouncement by the Abia State government to start a cement industry in
\nthe area.<\/p>\n

On August 18, 2018, a fresh crisis broke out in the area as the Utuma
\nclan allegedly burnt 5 villages and killed 30 persons in Isu community.
\nEfforts by the Ibeto Cement Company who got a license to commence work
\non the cement industry was said to have angered the Utuma clan.<\/p>\n

President General of Isu Progressive Union, (IPU), Elder Felix Okoro,
\ntold Pointblanknews.com that the Cross River Deputy governor, who hails
\nfrom the same Biase Local Government Area with the Utuma clan, has been
\n‘foot dragging’ on the resolution of the boundary dispute.<\/p>\n

While commending the Abia State Deputy Governor, Sir Ude Oko Chukwu for
\nhis efforts to broker peace in the area, the President General insisted
\nthat Prof Esu, was yet to show commitment to end the crisis.<\/p>\n

He urged Prof. Esu to shun ethnic sentiments and politics and consider
\nthe interest of over 3,500 Internally Displaced Persons, (IDPs) in Isu
\ncommunity.<\/p>\n

Okoro explained that the ‘body language and utterances’ of the Cross
\nRiver Deputy Governor has encouraged the Utuma people to continue
\nattacking the Isu Community as Isu villages have been burnt , with over
\n60 people killed in the crisis.<\/p>\n

He said the displaced people numbering over 3,500 who are quartered at
\nthe Ohabuke Primary School, face starvation since they can no longer
\naccess their farms and homes.<\/p>\n

According to him, “The Deputy Governor of Abia State, Sir Ude Oko Chukwu
\nand his Cross River counterpart, Prof. Ivara Esu, have visited Isu and
\nUtuma communities and pledged to ensure peace, but Isu people are still
\nbeing attacked, anyone who visits his farm is killed. In the past, the
\nCross State government showed interest to end the crisis, but now the
\nCross River Deputy Governor has been foot dragging.<\/p>\n

“Today, the Cross Deputy Governor is still saying that what they have in
\ntheir gazette is Iheosu-Utuma,\u00a0 Amachi-Utuma and that these Igbo
\nspeaking communities are in Cross River State.\u00a0 This cannot be the
\nattitude of a government official who wants to end the crisis. He keeps
\nsaying that the affected communities belong to Cross River state, but
\nthe Deputy Governor knows this in not correct. The Cross River Deputy
\nGovernor’s attitude has been encouraging the Utuma people to continue to
\nlay claim to Isu lands because of the limestone deposits.<\/p>\n

“The river is the natural boundary.The federal government should
\ndelineate the boundary between the two communities. We don’t have any
\nother home than Isu where our ancestors lived. Now, the IDPs cant return
\nto their homes, we spend N2 monthly to feed them.<\/p>\n

“Before the war, we lived in peace with pour Utuma neighbours. They were
\npart of the Aro\/Ibo County Council. They paid their taxes through our
\ntax agents. The Utuma clan was settled by Isu people because they are
\nour fishermen. They migrated from Biakpa. During the civil war, they
\ncrossed the river to stay with their kit and kin in Biakpa.<\/p>\n

“At the end of the war, they returned and we accepted them because we
\nvalue their fishing occupation. But when\u00a0 it was confirmed that
\nlimestone deposits was found in commercial quantity in our area,\u00a0 the
\nUkwa and Utuma people started to lay claim on the land. This prompted
\ntheir first attack on Isu in 1989 which they killed many people. There
\nwas another attack in 1995.”<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Following the boundary clash between Isu community in Arochukwu Local Government Area of Abia Sate and their Utuma neighbours in Biase Local Government Area of Cross River State Deputy governor;…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":68649,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-68648","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\nABIA COMMUNITY ACCUSES CROSS RIVER DEPUTY GOV OF FUELING BLOODY BOUNDARY CLASH - Pointblank News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/exclusive\/abia-community-accuses-cross-river-deputy-gov-of-fueling-bloody-boundary-clash\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"ABIA COMMUNITY ACCUSES CROSS RIVER DEPUTY GOV OF FUELING BLOODY BOUNDARY CLASH - 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