The Ekiti State Government, has warned communities locked in boundary tussles to refrain from raising unfounded allegations of bias and bribery against officials handling land disputes, if they notice any delay in the resolution of their matters.
The Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Chief (Mrs) Monisade Afuye, handed down the warning in Ado Ekiti, on Tuesday, while mediating in a lingering boundary crisis between Isinbode and Eda Ile Ekiti, in Ekiti East Local Government Area of the state.
The sitting was a follow up to petitions and counter petitions written by both communities that their territories were being intruded upon from both sides.
Mediating on the matter, Mrs Afuye, in a statement signed by her Special Assistant on Media, Victor Ogunje, appealed to communities to stop embarrassing and tarnishing the image of officials of the Ekiti State Boundary Commission of allegedly trying to pervert justice in any matter.
“Nobody takes bribe here. We must learn how to appreciate the efforts of these officials while settling scores among towns in boundary crises that we have in Ekiti. So, if your case is delayed, this doesn’t mean someone has collected bribe or is being biased.
“Let me say this and say it clearly, if you are saying this, you are tarnishing the image of our officials and we won’t tolerate it. Our people must desist from such conduct”.
Speaking further, the Deputy Governor, assured that the Ekiti State Boundary Resolution Committee will visit the disputed land and ascertain the genuine boundary between the two towns.
Mrs Afuye emphasized the need for the two monarchs to maintain peace and allow the matter to be resolved amicably through give and take spirit, that will allow the sharing of the land between them in the interest of unity and brotherhood.
“Very soon, the committee will visit the place and all relevant stakeholders should be called to come and give testimonies that will help us resolve this matter within a short time frame”.
Speaking at the forum, the Surveyor General of Ekiti State, Surveyor Adebayo Faleto, said by estimation, the land under dispute is 149 hectares, appealing to the two towns to allow the state government to intervene, by imbibing the spirit of give and take.
Faleto said the Technical Committee had earlier visited the spot three times to understudy the lands and came to conclusion that the government can’t affirm the claim of either of the parties until the documents presented are studied and dissected.
Laying a foundation for the town’s petition, the Onisin of Isinbode Ekiti, Oba Adesoji Akinyemi, said the area under contention has historical and traditional antecedents, having been an island first settled upon by their forebears.
The traditional ruler remarked that the historical significance of the area will make it difficult for them to consent to the idea of being shared with other town, or succumb to the embracement of the spirit of give and take.
“We are not at war with Eda Ile community. We are one. But that portion of land is highly historical in the life of my town. It represented where our forebears settled and reigned for ages, so we can’t share that area with anybody”.
Defending his community, the Eleda of Eda Ile, Oba Omotayo Adeniran, said it was his town that reported Isinbode to government that they were allegedly perpetrating illegal logging inside the disputed land, despite the presence of traditional features depicting boundaries in the area.
Oba Adeniran added that when the matter was brought before the late former Deputy Governor Bisi Egbeyemi in 2019, that it was resolved that tree felling should be suspended in the area, including cultivation of crops, which he accused Isinbode people of brazenly flouted.
The monarch, who said his subjects didn’t raise accusations against government officials, revealed that his town had already secured a favourable court judgement depicting that the land belongs to them in a matter involving another neighbouring community.