By Amos Aar
THE LINGERING land dispute between Bonta and Ukpute communities of Konshisha and Oju local government areas respectively of Benue State, again rekindled recently with greater ferocity leading to the wanton destruction of lives and properties worth millions of naira.
As at the last count, no fewer than 16 persons were reportedly killed and properties worth millions of naira destroyed, while economic activities such as farming and other social activities were brought to a standstill since the renewed violence erupted on Friday, July 5, 2024.
In the face of the still unsettled tension, frayed nerves, flaring tempers and mourning of those killed on both sides of the warring communities, authorities of the two local government areas have become involved and are now embroiled in a blame-game as to which community is responsible for re-igniting the fresh war, a scenario that has compromised their suitability in playing the role of peacemakers.
Standing conspicuously on the heap of the blames and counter-blames, however, is the fact that the crisis resurfaced in the process of efforts by the Benue State Government to demarcate the boundary between the two communities. But the government, perhaps caught off guard on the eruption of violence, may now be confused and permanently unsure of where the authentic boundary could be in the midst of clear disagreement and bitterness being exhibited by the leadership of Konshisha and Oju local government councils.
Blame-game
In separate telephone interviews with this reporter, the caretaker council chairpersons of Konshisha and Oju LGAs as well as their security secretaries, accused each other of attempting to shift the boundary from the original point mutually agreed and marked for demarcation by the Benue State Government.
Bonta people didn’t want demarcation done – Oju security secretary
The security secretary of Oju LGA, Mr Akira Okoh, alleged that Bonta people wanted to halt the ongoing demarcation process because they believed it would not favour them. According to him, contrary to the mutually agreed point where the demarcation would be done, Bonta side openly disagreed when the chairman of the State Boundary Committee and Deputy Governor of Benue State, Mr. Sam Ode, came to the area on July 2, 2024 to carry out the demarcation, allegedly insisting that it was not the mutually agreed portion of land.
The State Boundary Committee led by Deputy Governor Sam Ode had first met with the two communities on June 22, 2024 when both communities had agreed to implement the August 14, 2023 peace accord that centred on demarcation of the boundary.
Mr Okoh said the present violence started on July 5, 2024* after the visits of June 22 and July 2, 2024 which failed to resolve on a definite spot for the demarcation.
Mr Okoh said: “What is the problem now is the step to demarcate the boundary between the two local governments. The Konshisha people have vowed not to allow demarcation to take place. What happened was that on the July 2, 2024, both local governments in their meeting with the deputy governor, the deputy governor said anywhere that they agreed is the boundary, they should mount a beacon there.
“So, on 2nd July 2024 when we returned to site at Ukpute, there was an agreement where the two communities took oath, they want to use that place as boundary line. There was another place along the road there where their second class chief, Chief Ter Ikyor, pulled down the house which the Tiv people built. He told them that this is Igede’s land. So, when the Igede people showed them the place that this is where they pulled down the house, indicating that that hut they built is on Oju land, that made the Tiv people unhappy, that why should they show them that place?
“We had agreed from the Deputy Governor’s Office before we went to that place. Their chief confirmed it. We were preparing towards mounting of beacons. But it will be decided by the Deputy Governor’s Office. Benue State Boundary Committee will decide on where to mount the boundary even though we have the existing trees planted by the colonial masters, the trees are there till today, I have seen them,” Okoh stated, and accused the caretaker committee chairperson of Konshisha LGA, Hon. Philip Achua, of failure to complement the security efforts of his Oju counterpart, Hon. (Mrs) Christiana Ire Arubie, to quell the renewed crisis.
He said the Benue State Commissioner of Police (CP) deployed personnel of Operation Restore Peace and Operation Zenda from Ado, Otukpo and Ogbadibo LGAs in Benue Zone C and from Kogi State to the warring community. He however expressed fear that “Konshisha people have not deployed same to avert continued attacks because those people are the ones coming to attack Oju”.
Asked why the CP did not equally deploy the Operation Restore Peace to Konshisha side, Okoh said the CP had already given the directives and it was left for the two local government chairpersons to direct their area commanders to carry out the CP’s directive. He called on the caretaker chairperson of Konshisha LGA to emulate his Oju counterpart by beefing up security on Konshisha side to prevent further attacks by his people.
Bonta people want a buffer zone for lasting peace – Konshisha security secretary
However, the security secretary of Konshisha LGA, Mr Godwin Shikaan, countered Okoh’s testimony. According to him, Chief Ikyor did not order any hut to be pulled down because it was built on Oju land. He said Chief Ikyor had denied doing so when the Benue State Commissioner of Police contacted him to find out the truth.
Shikaan further noted that the house was pulled down in order to leave a space between Bonta and Ukpute as a buffer zone as is customary in boundaries, insisting that Ukpute people renewed the crisis by shifting away from a point where beacons should have been mounted. He further alleged that Ukpute people killed four persons, beheading one of them as at Sunday (July 21, 2024).
Shikaan said: “A point that was marked for bearing to be taken before beacons would be mounted, their sons; one of them was a commissioner of Lands and Survey, Engr Okpe Onah, and a traditional ruler from Oju, started the crisis in the bush that the point was not correct. They came and showed a place very close to Bonta that that’s the point.
“When the boundary commissioner asked them why, they explained that when a house was built there, Ter Ikyor went and demolished it. So, the place was theirs. But as I speak to you, the boundary commissioner came and asked the Ter Ikyor and he clarified that he did not demolish the house because it was built on Oju land; he demolished it because of its proximity to Ihobra Market, it was too close. So, he decided that only farm work be done there.
Shikaan also alleged that it was as a result of Ukpute people’s resistance that the bearing should not be taken from there that the current violence broke out.
“In fact, they burnt our houses up to three times before our people eventually went there. As I speak with you, they have killed up to four persons which the police have documented. One of them was even beheaded. When they alleged that Bonta people have killed their person, I said okay, they should take the photograph of the corpse and send to us to see. But they claimed that the culture of their community does not allow women to see that kind of corpse, so, it was buried. The commissioner of police has a photograph of the four people Ukpute people killed from Bonta. So, if they are claiming that twelve people were killed from their side, let them present evidence,” Shikaan demanded.
LG bosses in cross allegations:
I narrowly escaped attack – Oju caretaker committee boss
On her part, the caretaker committee chairperson of Oju LGA, Hon. (Mrs) Arubi, in a telephone interview with National Record, narrated how she narrowly escaped being attacked by thugs in Tse-Agberagba (headquarters of Konshisha LGA) when she went there to attend a peace meeting. She claimed that suspected thugs chased her when she was already in Konshisha for the peace meeting even as she was unsure whether they were thugs.
Mrs Arubi said: “When we went to Tse-Agberagba, I called ALGON chairman that I’m there. So, ALGON chairman said he would send youths. Formerly, ALGON chairman, with police commissioner, said immediately I reach that side, I should call so that they would send police to come and convey me to the place. So, when I reached Agberagba, I called. Then, ALGON chairman picked my call the first time and said he was sending youths to come. I said you said you are sending police to me, why youths? Then, he switched off his phone. I called several times but he did not pick his call again. I called about how many missed calls [sic] but he did not pick his call.
“While I was waiting there, I saw an old man, but not too old. Then, we asked the man the whereabouts of the commissioner and the ALGON chairman. He asked where am I from? I said I am from Igede, Oju local government, because I was using one tinted car like that; I did not use my bus. I now saw two machines passing and I told my driver and my PA that as I did not carry my bus, maybe it is me that they sent those people to. Let’s stop them and ask them because they always see me with a bus.”
According to Arubi, in her conversation with the man, she was cautioned to go back as that place is not safe because the people are still angry as a result of a person who was recently beheaded by Oju people. She added that after the man’s caution, her driver resolved to they turn back.
“Immediately we turned, those guys, because they were going and coming, I said those people are looking for us, let’s talk to them. But my driver said no, he did not like the faces of those people, he will not stop them. When we turned from where we stood close to Konshisha local government council secretariat, with the fear of what that man told us, my driver started speeding.
“When he saw those machines coming back, my driver kept speeding and those machines followed us. Then, I started having calls from my place. First, it was the DPO from my area that called me. He said Madam, quickly leave that place, those people are very angry. I said for what, I’m coming for peace talk, even those boys that are fighting, I have met them twice, ALGON chairman is my witness,” Mrs Abure narrated.
She also corroborated the security secretary of Oju who had alleged that her counterpart, the caretaker chairperson of Konshisha failed to complement her efforts to restore peace by refusing to beef up security on Bonta side.
She said: “He [Hon Achua] has not done anything. ALGON has not put any security [in place]. They said even yesterday (July 22, 2024), they came and attacked. When I was in the village, they came and shot a gun. Then, I quickly ran to the DPO that those people have shut a gun; he said I should not worry, the security is there. The only challenge is that if we can beg Governor to tell ALGON to put security in that area, the situation will calm [down].
“My conclusion now is that we don’t want problem, let Tiv people try and put security in the other side so that they will demarcate the land. My advice again to the government is that that land, so far as both of them are fighting, though they know that place does not belong to them, let government collect that land. We have palm trees, we have orange; government can farm all those things. Let us use that place as industrial area or farm so that this side will gain and that side will gain, for peace to reign. That’s my advice to the government.”
Arubi also noted that lack of financial resources was truncating security efforts noting how she was borrowing from money lenders to take care of operatives securing the area.
“Even up till now, like yesterday, I hosted the security that are at that place. Now, Mopol came and joined them later, 58 if I’m not mistaken, and those people are feeding morning, afternoon and evening. There is a woman in that market, the woman loans money. It is that woman that somebody directed me to. The only money that woman could give me was just fifty thousand naira (N50,000) because she said she did not sell market. When she gave me N50,000, I went and gave DPO N25,000. Then I gave the small vigilante groups N10,000 each and I bought fuel for the other machine N5,000. I’m speaking with the woman that she should still assist.
“If you come to Bureau, they say we should write while people are dying. Bureau can’t remove small money and say take, go and give security. But we do write, and if you write, nobody will answer you,” Mrs Abure lamented how lack of funds was affecting local government administration.
It’s all lies! – Konshisha caretaker committee boss
The caretaker chairperson of Konshisha LGA, Hon. Philip Achua, dismissed as ‘lies’ the allegations made by Mrs Arubi and Mr Okoh, the security secretary.
Speaking with National Record on his alleged inability to complement the efforts of his Oju counterpart to restore order, Hon. Achua, who doubles as the state chairperson of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), said in the first instance that the security secretary lacks the ‘locus standi’ to know the steps he had taken from his side.
“It’s all lies. Security secretary does not have the locus standi to know whether I have beefed up security from my axis; it’s my counterpart chairman,” Hon. Achua stated, adding that if there was an attempted attack on the chairperson of Oju LGA, she would have informed him. He further alleged that Mrs Arubi did not even make any attempt to attend the said peace meeting and stressed that if at all there was such incident anywhere on Konshisha land as she had narrated, the Oju chairman should have reported to him or at the Divisional Police Office (DPO) in Konshisha LGA.
“If my colleague was attacked, she would have called or if some people were pursuing her on bike, she would have told me. I was with the commissioner of police, I was with General Rabiu, I was with my area commander and her area commander.
“She didn’t report to me, she didn’t report to General Rabiu, who was there, commissioner of police was there. We met with her on the first day, there was no such report before the Commissioner of Police and before the General. She didn’t attend the peace meeting that was scheduled for Konshisha, she didn’t even come. Ask Commissioner of Police, we waited for her until 5pm. So, I don’t know what he [security secretary of Oju] wants to achieve.
“The security secretary may be playing pranks to cover the ills they have done. They have killed two of my people but I told my people not to retaliate and they have listened to me. But Shikaan, the Konshisha security secretary had earlier confirmed that when Ukpute people kept attacking Bonta people, youths from Bonta went there.
“To the best of my knowledge, we are doing our best to see that there is peace, and that is why we have never responded to the attacks, hence the governor has given the go-ahead to demarcate the place to bring permanent solution,” Hon. Achua stated.
Efforts to get the Deputy Governor Sam Ode to speak on the crisis, particularly on how the disagreement erupted on July 2, 2024 when he, as chairman of the State Boundary Committee, visited the disputed boundary area for the demarcation.
The deputy governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Ior Ikyereve, neither picked this reporter’s calls made to him for enquiry on the matter nor responded to messages sent to him via WhatsApp and direct sms.
However, Vanguard had in a report published on June 23, 2024 quoted the deputy governor as saying that the state government was going to deploy “the carrot and stick approach in the conduct of the demarcation exercise.”
“As the Chairman of boundary Commission, I want to declare that I have no personal interest other than the peace we hope to achieve. My role is to bring peace to the entire territory called Benue State.
“We do not want to use force. Force is the last option and I hope it doesn’t get to the use of force. Today I appeal to all of you in the name of God to help Governor Alia to develop the state.
“When there’s insecurity, people will not come to the state for business and all the money that government is supposed to use for development will be diverted to tackling security challenges.”
The question now is: what next will the state government do to bring sustainable peace to the axis? Will the government adopt what both sides seemed to have agreed on: the creation of a buffer zone that takes metres of land from both sides of the disputed portion of land or, as stated by the deputy governor, a combination of the “carrot and stick approach”?
* This article was edited on Saturday, July 27, 2024 to correct the date the current violence erupted. We initially reported that renewed violence started on July 2, 2024.
