Fresh tensions have erupted between the people of Ogwashi-Uku and the neighbouring Ibusa community in Delta State, with Ogwashi-Uku leaders accusing Ibusa of misleading the public by parading what they described as a “non-existent” Supreme Court judgment over a disputed boundary.
The development follows a recent protest by members of the Ibusa community to Government House in Asaba, where demonstrators accused Ogwashi-Uku of encroaching on their ancestral land.
During the protest, some placards carried by the demonstrators read: “We have Supreme Court verdict on the land” and “Implement Supreme Court judgment,” as they called on the Delta State Government to enforce what they described as subsisting court rulings on the disputed boundary.
However, the Palace Secretary to the Obi-in-Council of Ogwashi-Uku Kingdom, Prince Ifeakanachukwu Emordi, dismissed the claims as “misleading and legally irresponsible.”
In a statement, Emordi said there was no subsisting Supreme Court judgment determining the current boundary dispute between the two communities. According to him, the matter is presently before the Delta State High Court in Asaba, where both communities are actively litigating the issue.
“The Ibusa community has joined issues in that suit. Both parties are before the court and the matter is actively being litigated. We await the court’s determination,” he said.
“It is therefore deeply misleading and legally irresponsible to claim that there exists a subsisting Supreme Court judgment governing the present dispute. If such a judgment truly existed and conclusively settled the boundary, there would be no need for the current suit pending before the High Court.”
Emordi warned that attempts to mount public pressure through protests, placards and media campaigns while the case remains in court could undermine the judicial process and the rule of law.
Providing the Ogwashi-Uku perspective on the dispute, he said the historically recognised boundary between the two communities is River Oboshi, which also serves as the administrative boundary between Aniocha South and Oshimili North Local councils.
He alleged that certain survey documents had recently surfaced in attempts to lay claim to lands that were never litigated or awarded to Ibusa, describing the move as a deliberate effort to manufacture fresh disputes and escalate tensions.
“These actions are clearly designed to manufacture artificial disputes and escalate tensions. Ogwashi-Uku will not be intimidated by forged instruments or media theatrics,” he said.
Emordi also accused some elements from the neighbouring community of repeated provocations, including alleged encroachment into Ogwashi-Uku lands and attacks that reportedly led to the killing of some community members.
Despite the tensions, he said Ogwashi-Uku had exercised restraint and chosen to pursue legal remedies rather than violence.
The dispute has also drawn attention to the controversial location of Admiralty University, which Emordi said is already the subject of a case before the Federal High Court in Abuja, warning that it would be premature for any party to make definitive public claims.
Meanwhile, the Delta State Government has appealed for calm. The Chief of Staff, Government House, Asaba, Prince Johnson Erijo, urged both Ibusa and Ogwashi-Uku communities to maintain peace while the courts determine the disputed boundary.
Erijo assured residents that the government would not allow the situation to degenerate into violence.
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