Community leaders in Ukelle have rejected reports that they agreed to the return of Izzi internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Ebonyi State to Cross River State, warning that the misinformation could inflame an already tense situation.
The denial comes amid a lingering boundary dispute and communal clashes between the Izzi of Ebonyi and the Ukelle of Cross River.
Rt. Hon. Mom Olom, a former member of the Cross River State House of Assembly, and Isaac Okpokpo, speaking for the Ukelle Ka‑Calabar Forum, said a recent radio report by Amaechi Odo falsely claimed that the two communities had settled on returning IDPs.
They insisted the report misrepresented the outcome of a meeting convened by the Cross River/Ebonyi Youth Peace Development Movement on March 27, 2025.
The statement read in parts: “At a meeting of the Izzis and Ukelle communities held on March 27, 2025, at the instance of the Cross River/ Ebonyi Youth Peace Development Movement, chaired by Barr. Paschal Nwenyi, it was resolved that both parties would not rest on our oars until lasting peace is enthroned.
“We further resolved that the next meeting be held at the instance of both chairmen of Izzi and Yala Local Government Areas to demonstrate commitment to the pursuit of peace in their domain because of their apparent nonchalant attitude. The meeting was scheduled for the 17th of April 2025 at Mfuma South Ukelle.
“But rather than reflect what truly transpired, the reporter, Ameachi Odo, reported that the meeting was intended to finalise an agreement on the return of the Izzi IDPs to Ukelle land. The report was false, misleading and capable of engendering a feud, as he proposed to gratify his pay master.
“We, therefore, seize this medium to put the record straight that this was never contemplated since we lack the power to grant such a weighty request. Our position, therefore, is to approach the peace matter with utmost decorum, to gradually engage the process at the community, local government and state levels till the National Boundary Commission (NBC) has done the tracing and replacement of removed beacons at the known colonial boundary lines, as succinctly captured by items 6th and 15th of the inaugural communiqué of the peace movement of September 19th 2019 at Abakaliki.”
They went on to resolve: “Consequently, rising from an emergency meeting of Ukelle ka‑Calabar forum, the administrative headquarters of Ukelle Worldwide, on the 30th of April 2025, we accordingly resolved that there would be no more such community meetings till further notice, as such meetings tend to inflame tempers and generate needless tension.”
Separately, Mom Olom insisted there was no call for a new boundary between Cross River and Ebonyi states, pointing to the colonial‑era line from the taperal point of Akparata down south to Ijegibom.
“I’m calling on the National Boundary Commission to do the needful, retrace and replace the beacon stones that have been removed so that at the end of the day, both parties can talk. If they decide to remain in Cross River State, it will be the decision of the local government and the state, but for us as a people, we cannot make such a decision,” he said.
Olom noted that before Ebonyi State was created, the Izzi people acknowledged their Igbo heritage and agreed to coexist with the Ukelle despite the new state boundaries.
The long‑standing dispute has claimed lives and destroyed property worth millions of naira over the years.
