The Anambra state Boundaries Committee has been called upon to as a matter of urgency, look into the boundary issues between Ivite Nteje and Odumodu Umunya, both in Oyi council area, with a view to stemming tension brewing up in the area.
The appeal was made by both communities following clearing of some portions of land near the Odumodu Bus Stand axis of the Enugu-Onitsha Express road.
Women and youths of Odumodu village Umunya staged a peaceful protest on the said portion of land shouting at the top of their voices ,lamenting their losses over the cleared portion of land which they said is their only source of livelihood .
Some of them including messrs Uju Ughanze and Paul Nwabuebo explained that they woke up sometime two weeks ago and discovered that their cassava farms have been cleared without any warning.
They argued that such practice is an abomination in Igbo land , as uprooting crops when they are not due for harvest is referred to as Ifejioku, and frowned at.
Reacting to the development, the traditional ruler of Umunya , Igwe Chris Onyekwuluje expressed shock as he claimed an Appeal Court ruling has restrained people from entering the land , until the court takes its final stand on the issue.
Igwe Onyekwuluje said that he received a distress call when the clearing started and warned his subjects not to engage in any unlawful act, as he said that people of the community are law abiding and peaceful.
He said that he has written to the state Boundaries Commission to determine the boundary as he maintained that Nengo River is the boundary between the two communities.
He argued that rivers are natural boundaries established over decades ago.
In a swift reaction, the traditional ruler of Nteje, Igwe Rowland Odegbo claimed that the people of Odumodu Umunya are tenants of Nteje community ,who were given that portion of land by their fore fathers only to live in and not to be the owners.
He said that the people of ivite Nteje are now in need of the land , hence their laying claims to what belongs to them.
Igwe Odegbo recalled that the supreme court had in the past, given judgement in favour of ndi Ivite Nteje, wondering why Odumodu Umunya people are still laying claims to the land.
The Nteje monarch said moving forward, he will discuss with his Umunya counterpart to know how to bring lasting solution to the issue before it escalates to something ugly.
He said part of his peace ideas is bringing the state boundaries commission into the matter.
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