A former federal lawmaker, Dr. Uzoma Nkem Abonta, has accused the Abia State Deputy Governor of attempting to cede part of the state’s territory to the Ika Annang people of Akwa Ibom State.

In this interview with Daily Sun, Dr. Abonta sheds light on the long-running boundary controversy between the Akirika Obu community in Abia State and the people of Ika in Akwa Ibom State. He discusses the controversial role allegedly played by the Abia State Deputy Governor, the ongoing legal battles, and the urgent steps Governor Alex Otti must take to avert an outbreak of communal violence.

The conflict concerns the Akirika Obu community in the Ukwa East Local Government Area of Abia State. The Ika Annang people of Akwa Ibom State, alongside their state government, have consistently encroached upon this territory in an effort to annex it. More recently, these attempts have become particularly blatant, allegedly occurring in connivance with certain Abia State Government officials.

Akirika Obu is situated within the Ndoki Clan in the Ukwa East Local Government Area of Abia State. It is one of three communities comprising the Umuigubeachara group. The people of Akirika Obu originally migrated from Akirika Uku and settled on a vast parcel of land allocated to their ancestors by their maternal relatives, the Abiaka people of Oberete, which is located in the present-day Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State.

The community shares partition boundaries with Abiaka in Oberete Ibeme, who originally granted the land, as well as substantive boundaries with neighbouring Abia villages and Ika villages in the current Ika Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. Crucially, it has no land boundary dispute with any Ika Annang village of Akwa Ibom State.

Since the end of the civil war, the Ika Annang people and successive administrations in Akwa Ibom State have made fraudulent claims over Akirika Obu. They have repeatedly launched violent incursions into the area, destroying property in their bid for annexation. Yet, historical records show that Akirika Obu has never been administered as part of the Ika Annang area of the Abak Division under the old Uyo Province. I challenge anyone claiming otherwise to produce archival evidence.

It is deeply regrettable that the Governor of Akwa Ibom State has not verified whether his state’s representatives possess supporting documentation. A state governor does not need to be a lawyer to ask such elementary questions. He ought to demand proof from the national archives rather than relying on backchannel compliance from Abia State officials to annex strategic boundary communities like Akirika Obu and Azumini. It will not work. My constituents and I will not tolerate such lawlessness.

Has the Federal Government ever intervened or taken a definitive decision in this matter?

Yes, on multiple occasions. The former East Central State Government and subsequently the Imo State Government both lodged formal complaints with the Federal Government regarding these territorial encroachments. In response, the Federal Government established at least two boundary commissions.

Both panels determined that Akirika Obu is an integral part of the Ndoki Clan, which is now situated within the Ukwa East Local Government Area of Abia State. During the sittings of the Kaloma Ali Boundary Ascertainment Commission of 1982, the Ika Annang people and the then Cross River State Government failed to produce a single document to validate their claims. Consequently, the Commission ruled that Akirika Obu should remain within Imo State.

This decision was formally codified into law under Decree Number 23 of 1985. The decree explicitly states that Akirika Obu is to be governed by Imo State, a territory that Abia State subsequently inherited upon its creation. The decree even notes that the community is alternatively referred to as Ikot Udo, which is the name the Ika Annang people insist on using, but it explicitly maintains that the land belongs to Abia.

Why is this controversy resurfacing in 2026?

That is the most alarming aspect of the situation. Despite the unambiguous provisions of Decree Number 23 of 1985, current Abia State Government officials appear to be actively undermining the law by effectively ceding Akirika Obu to Akwa Ibom State.

A similar crisis is unfolding within the Azumini Ancient Kingdom. In that area, tenants originating from the interior Annang region have allegedly conspired with state officials to annex lands belonging to the customary Azumini overlords. These unsettling developments are precisely why I have chosen to speak out. It is baffling that government officials would facilitate such actions and go home to sleep peacefully.

On March 17, 2025, the Deputy Governor bypassed the Akirika Obu community entirely. He traveled in his official vehicle alongside Mr Chris Nwanevu, a former state boundary officer, to a nearby Ika village in Akwa Ibom State. There, he held private discussions with the Ika Annang people without the presence of civil servants or representatives from the Akirika Obu community. The motives behind that meeting remain entirely unverified. Furthermore, the Deputy Governor allegedly shielded Chris Nwanevu inside his vehicle for several hours on a day when a local youth was severely assaulted by armed Ika Annang youths, later succumbing to his injuries.

Subsequently, on 21 January, 2026, the Deputy Governor repeated this action. Following another closed-door visit, he went to the Community Primary School in Akirika Obu, a facility that has been forcefully and illegally occupied by Akwa Ibom interests. Standing within that occupied compound, the Abia State Deputy Governor proceeded to partition the community land, assigning portions of it to Akwa Ibom State under the pretext of an upcoming road construction project. This was done without any formal agreement between the two state governments. He effectively divided Akirika Obu into four parts, ceding three quarters to Akwa Ibom and leaving a single fraction to Abia. It is an immense embarrassment. As we speak, the primary school remains occupied by armed actors at the instance of the Akwa Ibom State Government.

How would you legally and politically categorise these actions?

His conduct on both occasions amounts to crossing state lines to manufacture a non-existent boundary dispute to the detriment of his own state. As a lawyer, I view this conduct as a betrayal of public trust. The Akirika Obu community had already initiated legal action against the Akwa Ibom State Government. In their statement of defence, Akwa Ibom claimed the issue was a boundary dispute, yet they could not name a single Ika Annang village with which Akirika Obu shares a disputed border. Instead, they introduced an outlandish argument, claiming that Decree Number 23 of 1985 had partitioned Ikot Udo into four parts, assigning three quarters to Cross River State and one quarter to Imo State.

The community’s legal counsel, Femi Falana, thoroughly dismantled this argument in court. He demonstrated that the decree, which is a public document available for anyone to read, contains no such partitioning clause.

Shockingly, the exact narrative rejected in court is what the Abia State Deputy Governor attempted to implement physically on 21 January 2026 alongside his Akwa Ibom counterpart. By encouraging an external administration to disregard pending judicial proceedings, he has undermined the Abia State judiciary. No state deputy governor should engage in such actions.

Does the Deputy Governor possess the constitutional authority to alter state boundaries?

He completely lacks the legal authority to alter boundaries or cede any portion of Abia State territory. Such powers are outside his jurisdiction. One must ask whose directives he is following. The Deputy Governor owes the people of Abia State a transparent explanation regarding his activities. Even the National Boundary Commission cannot operate outside the statutory boundaries established by Decree Number 23 of 1985.

My primary concern is that the Deputy Governor has failed to properly brief His Excellency, Governor Alex Otti. The Governor does not seem to have a full grasp of the facts on the ground. As the public knows, Governor Otti is highly intolerant of illegalities, regardless of the status of the individuals involved.

What are your specific demands to the Abia State Government?

Governor Otti must personally and urgently intervene to prevent this volatile situation from escalating into full-blown inter-communal violence. My constituents in Akirika Obu feel abandoned and marginalized.

I urge His Excellency to listen directly to his people, halt the forceful occupation of the primary school, and put an end to the infrastructural incursions being used by Akwa Ibom as a pretext for territorial expansion. He must supervise his subordinates closely and investigate what transpired during those border visits.

Beyond security, the border region requires immediate developmental attention. Infrastructure such as roads, schools, and healthcare facilities have been neglected for decades. I am also calling on the Federal Government and the President to step in, particularly to address these tactical infrastructure extensions in areas like Azumini before the situation deteriorates further.

What are the potential consequences if this boundary dispute remains unresolved?

The stakes could not be higher. Continued encroachment and unresolved territorial disputes in border communities will inevitably destabilize the entire region. This is not a minor administrative oversight. Lives have already been lost, and properties have been destroyed in the past. The time for decisive executive action is now. (The Sun)