The Ojiegbe community in Isu, Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, has appealed to Governor Francis Nwifuru to address its longstanding administrative and boundary concerns, including its demand for autonomous community status and the implementation of a government directive issued in 2024.
The community made the appeal in a petition dated October 11, 2026, submitted by the Ojiegbe Development Association through its president, Nicholas Orogwu.
In the petition, the community acknowledged the efforts of Governor Nwifuru and his deputy, Princess Patricia Obila, in addressing a reported misunderstanding between Ojiegbe and Aguotu communities. However, it expressed concern that some historical and administrative issues were not adequately reflected in a press statement released by the Office of the Deputy Governor on October 9, 2026.
The Ojiegbe community maintained that there is no existing boundary dispute between Ojiegbe Isu in Onicha LGA and Aguotu village in Ezzagu, Ishielu LGA.
Instead, the association identified the boundary between Ojiegbe Isu and Obeagu Isu as the issue requiring urgent government intervention.
According to the petition, following the peaceful resolution of an earlier communal crisis involving Ojiegbe, Obeagu and Mgbalukwu communities, some Ojiegbe indigenes who had relocated to Aguotu began returning to their ancestral homes.
The association explained that only about 10 per cent of the affected population had returned, with those who came back beginning the recovery and cultivation of their ancestral lands and family-owned economic trees.
It stressed that the reclamation of these properties should not be interpreted as evidence of a boundary dispute with Aguotu or as an attempt to claim communal land.
The Ojiegbe Development Association also called on Governor Nwifuru to implement a directive it said was issued in 2024 concerning the community’s administrative affiliation.
According to the petition, the governor directed that Ojiegbe people in Isu, Onicha LGA, and Aguotu people in Ishielu LGA be brought together under Ishielu Local Government Area for administrative convenience.
The community said the proposed arrangement was based on their shared Ogboji and Ezza identity, as well as their historical relationship.
However, it lamented that the directive had yet to be implemented and urged the state government to take the necessary steps to give effect to the decision.
The association further requested an impartial investigation and immediate geographical and historical demarcation of the boundary between Ojiegbe and Obeagu Isu.
It said a clear and mutually understood boundary would help resolve lingering uncertainties, protect ancestral properties and facilitate the safe return of displaced residents.
The community warned that administrative and security decisions should be handled carefully to avoid creating fresh tensions between neighbouring communities.
Despite its grievances, the Ojiegbe community said it was not seeking confrontation with neighbouring communities.
Rather, it maintained that its demands were based on justice, historical recognition, protection of property rights and peaceful coexistence.
The association argued that lasting peace in the affected areas would depend on the fair resolution of historical grievances and respect for the rights of all communities involved.
It appealed to Governor Nwifuru to intervene decisively in the matter, expressing confidence in his administration’s commitment to conflict resolution and peaceful coexistence across Ebonyi State.
The petition did not contain any response from the governor regarding the specific demands raised by the Ojiegbe community.
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