The Ebonyi State Government has launched a peacebuilding initiative aimed at resolving long-standing boundary disputes, community leadership tussles, land disagreements and issues surrounding the enforcement of court judgments across the state.

Briefing journalists in Abakaliki, the Commissioner for Border, Peace and Conflict Resolution, Prof. Paul Nwobasi, said the ministry inherited a complex web of disputes but was using dialogue, technical surveying and traditional mediation to address them.

“The ministry inherited a catalogue of difficult disputes,” Nwobasi said.

“We have responded through dialogue, mediation, fact-finding, community engagement, traditional institutions, technical boundary processes, and the implementation of court decisions.”

According to him, the ministry is currently handling 19 major boundary cases, some of which date back to 1912 and 1933.

He said all parties involved in the disputes had been directed to stay off contested lands pending final boundary determinations.

“Dialogue may stop immediate hostilities,” Nwobasi noted, “but surveying and boundary determination address the actual root cause that produced the disagreement.”

The commissioner also said the ministry was handling 10 community election disputes and 29 kindred or family cases.

Following the deadly Okporojo incident on February 6, 2026, Governor Francis Nwifuru established the Amasiri-Edda Boundary Adjustment and Demarcation Committee, chaired by Nwobasi.

The committee submitted its interim report on September 8, 2026, following field surveys and meetings with stakeholders.

Following the report, Nwifuru directed all parties to maintain the status quo and refrain from trespassing on the disputed areas.

The governor also reinstated the dethroned traditional rulers of Ndukwe and Amasiri as part of efforts to promote reconciliation.

Nwobasi further denied social media claims that the ministry demands gratification before intervening in community conflicts.

He described the claims as misinformation, explaining that field missions to volatile areas require security logistics, which are standard operational arrangements coordinated through local government chairmen and not funded by affected communities.

“We urge members of the public to verify information directly from the ministry rather than relying on unverified social media reports,” Nwobasi stated. (Channels TV)