Boundary Clash: NBC Blames Ikot Essien for Disrupting Peace Efforts With Atan Abam in Abia

The National Boundary Commission (NBC) has accused the Ikot Essien community in Akwa Ibom State of derailing ongoing efforts to resolve a long-standing boundary dispute with the Atan Abam community in Abia State.

This was revealed in an official letter dated July 28, 2025, and addressed to the Deputy Governor of Abia State and Chairman of the Abia State Boundary Committee, Rt. Hon. Ikechukwu Emetu. The letter, signed by the Commission’s Director General, Surveyor Adamu A. Adaji, expressed disappointment over the outbreak of violence initiated by residents of Ikot Essien shortly before a scheduled boundary demarcation exercise.

According to the NBC, the attacks from Ikot Essien triggered tensions in the area and led to the indefinite suspension of field activities that were supposed to run from July 21 to August 25, 2025.

“It is indeed disheartening to receive such a report of violence on the Atan Abam community by the people of Ikot Essien. The Commission frowns at this disturbing development, having achieved so much in the definition processes of the inter-state boundary,” the letter read.

The NBC further disclosed that it has notified the Akwa Ibom State Government of the incident and urged it to step in and restore calm to the affected border areas. The Commission assured stakeholders that a new date for the field exercises will be communicated once the security situation improves.

In the meantime, NBC has appealed for calm and mutual tolerance between the two communities, urging them to allow the Commission complete its task of defining the disputed boundaries.

Meanwhile, residents of Atan Abam have cried out to the Abia State Government for urgent intervention. They accused Ikot Essien residents of repeated aggression and laid claim to casualties sustained in past attacks. According to them, the disputed land has been part of their ancestral settlement from the very beginning.

They also alleged that the violence intensified recently after they cleared a section of forest land to commence rice farming. They believe the move attracted the interest of their neighbours, who now seek control over the cultivated area instead of utilizing their own undeveloped lands.

As tensions simmer, the NBC’s plea for restraint remains a crucial call for peace while stakeholders work towards a lasting resolution.