Nasarawa Resolving Boundary Conflicts With Benue – Commissioner

The commissioner for Nasarawa State Boundary Commission (NSBC) Hon Ibrahim Aliyu has declared that because of the measures adopted by his agency, there is no land-related disagreement with Benue State.

He made the assertion during an interview with LEADERSHIP in his office in Lafia, the state capital. Aliyu however said the commission was adopting the instruments used from 1904 to 1949 in addressing boundary line conflict that erupted between the two states.

The commissioner said the commission adopted the same instrument used in December 1988  to settle issues that have to do with the instrument used to address the demarcation between Yelwata in Benue State and Akpanaja in Doma local government of Nasarawa State respectively.

Aliyu stated that Pillar 14 was traced at Tukura-Tunga crossing River Oshongo which he said has an error of 10 degrees, and therefore attributed insecurity in the boundaries to the delay in the completion of the assignment. He however revealed that the commission from Benue State kept the team from Nasarawa State for two weeks during the assignment.

He said the Western sector is amongst the disputed area, and explained that there was demarcation exercise in April -May 2022, where the committee traced Yelwata-Tukura sector with a real boundary tracing carried out with a provisional boundary line held in September 2022.

On the efforts of authorities of the boundary towns which included the council chairmen of Keana and Doma local government areas, he appreciated them for their support.

He however blamed the chairman of Awe local government area, Dr Umar Dan Akano, for the demolition of three pillars in the area during the night in the council’s headquarters.

He said for the internal border rumpus Doma and Keana local government complied while Awe local government did not comply, stating that some of the beacons discovered and marked by the committee were destroyed by Awe local government.