Bloodshed Averted As Enugu State Govt Settles Land Dispute Between Isienu-Amagunze, Akpugo Communities

A long-standing and potentially violent land dispute between Isienu-Amagunze in Nkanu East Local Government Area and Ndiuno Akpugo in Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State has been peacefully resolved by the Enugu State Boundary Committee.

The conflict, which nearly escalated into a bloodbath on December 11, 2024, followed allegations by residents of Isienu-Amagunze that Chief Uche Nnaji, Nigeria’s Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, had encroached on their land under the pretext of executing a federal project. According to them, the project was a renewed attempt to take over farmland that had been unsuccessfully claimed four years earlier.

Tensions heightened when bulldozers invaded over six hectares of cassava and yam plantations owned by local farmers in Isienu-Amagunze. However, swift intervention by the Enugu State Government prevented what could have been a deadly communal clash.

Fulfilling its promise to resolve the matter, the State Boundary Committee released its findings on Thursday July 10, 2025, affirming the demarcation between the two communities.

According to the committee’s report, “the boundary between both communities is the point demarcated by a seasonal stream known as the IYI – EZI stream bordering the Akpugo community and Isienu-Amagunze community,” which also serves as the current administrative boundary between Nkanu East and Nkanu West LGAs.

The announcement was made at the Government House, Enugu, in the presence of representatives from the disputing communities—Ndiuno-Uwani Akpugo, Ndiagu-Uwani Akpugo, and Isienu-Amagunze—as well as key government officials.

Among those present were the Commissioner for Chieftaincy, Local Government and Rural Development, Deacon Okey Ogbodo; representatives of the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice and the State Surveyor General; Secretary of the Committee, Barr. Solomon Ejim; and the Chairman of the State Traditional Rulers Council, HRM Ikechukwu Asadu (Igwe Ogadagidi).

Reacting to the decision, Hon. Anthony Okey Mbah, who represents Nkanu East Constituency in the State House of Assembly, praised the verdict, stating it “aligns with the position of the Isienu-Amagunze community to the boundary committee as to where the true boundary is.”

Hon. Mbah noted that the ruling contradicted the claim by the Akpugo community, which argued that the boundary should lie beyond the Nkanu East Local Government headquarters at the Atavu River.

On behalf of the traditional ruler, town union executives, and other stakeholders of Isienu-Amagunze, Hon. Mbah expressed deep appreciation to Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah for what he described as the “historic resolution” of a decades-long boundary conflict.

He further emphasized that “the swift intervention of the state government had averted what could have resulted in a bloody communal conflict between the two neighbouring communities.”