‘’War is what happen when languages fails’’ – Mark Twain

The seemingly intractable boundary conflict between Azunchai village of Amanchai Autonomous community in particular and Ariam Usaka kingdom in general of Abia state, rears its ugly head again, first week of January this year prior to February farming season. The decades old conflict which farmland and boundaries are at the centre of the crises , resurfaces unabated to a worrisome height.

The two communities of Azunchai of Ikuano local government of Abia state and Nkari people of Ini and Obot Akara Local government area of Akwa Ibom had been co-habiting for centuries, history have it that Nkari people are offspring of a former slave business agent known as Usuk, who got stranded at the abolition of slave trade late eighteen century, out of sympathy and magnanimous nature of Azunchai ancestors, the village provided land for him for temporary abode at the present Nkari community, this unparallel gesture snowballed to intermarriage, social, education and cultural integration amongst Azunchai and Nkari people, for several decades now, the brotherly peace between these two communities had been yearly tempted, tested and uprooted by the Nkari people.

However, the embers of hatred fanned by Nkari people was taken to the zenith on the wee hours of 21st January when Nkari people invaded Azunchai farmland, they criminally harvested farmlands, they ventured into the sleepy village leaving behind loss of lives, carnage, wanton destruction of properties and other ancillary losses, the leadership of Azunchai village have so far tactically refused to release the number of casualties to avert reprisal attack by the sharpy youths of the village.

The dispute escalated so much that the deputy governor of Abia state, Dr Ude Oko Chukwu, who is also the chairman of the state Boundary commission visited affected villages , in his on the spot visit to Azunchai and Usaka Ukwu to assess the level of damages and provide areas of government intervention, he re-affirmed the government assertion and commitment to protect every inch of Abia land and assured the people that he would take the people message to the governor and also promised to reach out to his Akwa Ibom state counterpart to strategize and concretize a lasting peace process.

It is noteworthy that concern parties, villages, local governments, traditional leaders, state, federal governments and military personnel must embrace peace, eschew and avert treacherous war journey that is beclouded with uncertainty, it is to the benefit of all to rewrite wrong languages and erect truthful boundaries, let me end with a quote by a war veteran, Francois Fenelon, ‘’All wars are civil war because all men are brothers’’


Ugo Nwagwu
Ugo4great@yahoo.com