Fresh tensions have erupted between the people of Ogwashi-Uku and 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.

The Ibusa community led by Peter Lotobi, said "we have the Supreme Court verdict on the land” and “Implement Supreme Court judgment, " and called on the Delta State Government to enforce what they claimed were 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 is no subsisting Supreme Court judgment determining the present boundary dispute between the two communities.

According to him, the matter is currently 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 further warned that attempts to mount public pressure through protests, placards and media campaigns while the case is still in court undermine the judicial process and violate the rule of law.

Providing the Ogwashi-Uku perspective on the dispute, he said the historically recognized boundary between the two communities is River Oboshi, which also serves as the administrative boundary between Aniocha South and Oshimili North Local Government Areas.

He alleged that certain survey documents had recently surfaced in attempts to lay claim to lands that were never litigated nor 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 elements from the neighbouring community of repeated provocations, including alleged encroachment into Ogwashi-Uku lands and attacks that had 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, however, said the issue is already 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 had appealed for calm, as the Chief of Staff, Government House, Asaba, Prince Johnson Erijo, urged both Ibusa and Ogwashi-Uku communities to maintain peace while legal processes determine the disputed boundary. (The Guardian)