Ette Belongs to Kogi, Not Enugu: Community Counters Enugu Govt’s Claim, Cites Legal Evidence | Nigeria News Today
By Queen Madaki | The Bureau News
Nigeria News Today — The long-standing interstate boundary dispute involving
Ette community has intensified as stakeholders representing the area have
formally rejected the Enugu State Government’s statement dismissing reports that the
National Boundary Commission (NBC) affirmed Ette as belonging to Kogi State.
In a detailed rejoinder issued through Crownfield Solicitors and signed by
Chief Festus Ameh Ogwuche, PhD, the Ette community described the Enugu State
Government’s position as misleading, legally weak and unsupported by formal boundary
records.
The Bureau News: Community Challenges Enugu State’s ‘Fake News’ Narrative
According to the rejoinder, Enugu State’s public defense rests only on an alleged “oral
denial” attributed to the Director-General of the NBC. The statement insists that no
written retraction, circular, or authenticated official communication exists to counter
NBC findings already backed by structured boundary procedures.
The Ette stakeholders stressed that the boundary position did not arise from a single
letter but from years of comprehensive fieldwork, ethnographic assessments, scientific
boundary tracing, and technical delineation exercises supervised by the NBC and the
Office of the Surveyor General of the Federation in line with a Supreme Court directive.
The exercises confirmed Ette’s location within Kogi State jurisdiction while accusing Enugu State of persistent unlawful territorial encroachment.
Nigeria News Today: Evidence Points to Kogi State Jurisdiction
The legal team revealed that boundary activities were jointly undertaken with full
participation of both states, including Enugu officials who allegedly endorsed earlier
boundary positions. However, when the final demarcation phase was scheduled, Enugu
State reportedly failed to participate on several occasions, citing logistics and funding
constraints.
The community argued that a state that repeatedly avoided demarcation exercises cannot
later depend on political press releases to distort established boundary facts.
Calls for Action
Stakeholders demanded that:
- Enugu State Government should produce verifiable documentary evidence or desist from misinformation.
- The National Boundary Commission should conclude the demarcation exercise without further delay.
- Authorities in Enugu should cease administrative interference in Ette pending final boundary enforcement.
The rejoinder maintained that Ette’s true territorial identity is grounded on verifiable
law, maps, history and factual administrative records rather than political narratives.
The Bureau News will continue to monitor developments surrounding this sensitive
interstate boundary issue as the National Boundary Commission moves forward with its
mandate.
