The Chairman of Boki Local Government Area of Cross River State, Eti-Eka Beatrice Nyiam, has called for an immediate survey and demarcation of the disputed boundaries between Boje and Isobendighe communities to prevent further clashes and loss of lives.
Nyiam made the call on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, during an interview on HIT FM in Calabar, following a fresh escalation of violence between the neighbouring communities.
The council chairman attributed the recurring confrontation largely to disputes over farmland, particularly during the farming season, and urged the Cross River State Surveyor-General to establish clearly recognised boundaries between the communities.
She argued that a formally documented boundary would reduce disputes over land ownership and limit opportunities for encroachment and trespass.
The latest violence has already prompted a security response, with troops from the Nigerian Army’s 12 Brigade deployed to the affected communities after reports that two people had been killed and property destroyed over the preceding two weeks.
Land remains a major source of tension between the affected communities, with farming activities bringing competing claims over the use and ownership of agricultural areas into sharper focus.
Nyiam said the absence of clearly established boundaries creates room for disagreements to escalate, particularly when residents enter areas claimed by another community.
Her proposed solution combines a technical land-survey exercise with stronger community-level security measures.
The council chairman wants authorities to:
- Demarcate the boundaries between Boje and Isobendighe.
- Prevent further encroachment after the boundaries are established.
- Strengthen police presence in the affected communities.
- Bring traditional rulers and community leaders together.
- Sustain dialogue aimed at preventing retaliation and further violence.
Nyiam warned that once the boundaries are properly established, deliberate trespass or encroachment should attract serious consequences.
The proposal reflects a broader challenge in conflict-prone rural communities: security deployments can contain immediate violence, but disputes over land often require administrative, traditional and legal mechanisms to prevent them from returning.
Beyond the boundary exercise, Nyiam called for a meeting involving traditional rulers and other community leaders from the affected areas.
She said Governor Bassey Otu had approved an engagement with traditional leaders as part of efforts to address the security situation and establish a more durable peace.
The proposed dialogue is significant because communal land disputes often involve historical claims, customary ownership and competing interpretations of traditional boundaries.
A settlement therefore requires more than the presence of security personnel.
The council chairman said she remained encouraged by what she described as a more proactive response from security agencies in Boki, but argued that the affected communities also need permanent security infrastructure.
She specifically advocated police outposts in the communities.
According to her, combining clearly defined boundaries with permanent police presence could help prevent fresh confrontations and give residents greater confidence to return to normal farming and community activities.
The renewed clashes have already moved beyond a local dispute requiring mediation, with the Nigerian Army deploying troops from 12 Brigade to the affected communities.
Reports indicate that at least two people were killed and property was destroyed during the latest round of violence.
The deployment is intended to help stabilise the area and prevent further attacks while authorities work toward a political and community-level resolution.
However, military or police intervention alone may not resolve the underlying disagreement if the communities continue to contest the location of their respective farmlands.
This is why the call for a formal boundary survey is central to the council chairman’s proposal.
A credible demarcation exercise would need to involve the relevant surveying authorities and representatives of the affected communities, with the resulting boundaries properly documented and communicated.
That could provide a reference point for resolving future complaints rather than allowing every new dispute to develop into a confrontation.
The latest communal dispute comes against a broader background of boundary-related tensions in Boki.
The local government shares an international boundary with Cameroon, and the area has previously featured in national debates over Nigeria’s territorial demarcation.
In 2023, the House of Representatives considered an ad hoc committee report on the Nigeria-Cameroon boundary dispute involving Danare and Biajua communities in Boki. Parliamentary records referenced boundary pillars established under the 1913 Anglo-German agreement, including Pillar 113A.
The issue resurfaced in 2026 after lawmakers raised concerns over alleged incursions by Cameroonian military personnel into Danare. The House subsequently called for urgent diplomatic and security action.
These international boundary issues are distinct from the current Boje-Isobendighe communal dispute, but they underline the importance of clearly defined territorial boundaries in Boki.
Nyiam also used the interview to raise concerns about large-scale timber logging across Boki.
She reportedly complained that heavy trucks transporting logs were damaging roads in the local government area, while the absence of wood-processing industries means the area is not receiving enough economic value from its forest resources.
The council chairman called for investment in wood-processing facilities that could create employment and encourage local value addition.
Her comments place the current security concerns within a broader development challenge facing the area.
For communities dependent on agriculture and natural resources, damaged roads, limited investment and unresolved land disputes can compound economic pressures and make local conflicts harder to manage.
The immediate priority is to prevent another round of violence between Boje and Isobendighe while authorities pursue a lasting settlement.
For the council chairman, that means combining security intervention with clearly defined land boundaries and sustained dialogue among traditional and community leaders.
The success of the approach will depend on whether the demarcation process is accepted by the affected communities and whether authorities can maintain a credible mechanism for resolving future disputes.
If implemented transparently, a formal boundary agreement could give residents a clear basis for determining land rights and reduce the likelihood that disputes over farms will repeatedly escalate into violence.
For Boki, the bigger test is turning the latest security intervention into a durable peace framework that protects lives, property and livelihoods.
