The Abia State Government has defended its decision to commence field tracing and preliminary boundary work on Ogbuebulu land, stating that it is fulfilling a constitutional obligation to implement a final judgment of the Supreme Court of Nigeria that has remained unenforced for more than two decades.
In an official response issued on Tuesday, the state said petitions submitted by individuals describing themselves as concerned citizens of Ndi Ebe Abam did not contest the validity of the judgment, which was delivered by the High Court in Umuahia in 1989 and affirmed by the Supreme Court on 12 July 2002.
According to the government, the ruling—entered in favour of Ndi Ebe Abam—is final and binding on all authorities and cannot be set aside or delayed by administrative hesitation or fresh claims outside the scope of the original case.
The response, jointly issued by the Office of the Deputy Governor and the Abia State Boundary Committee, stated that the government would be failing in its duty if it declined to facilitate the implementation of a subsisting apex court decision. It added that enforcing the judgment was a matter of upholding the rule of law rather than interfering with judicial authority.
The Deputy Governor, Ikechukwu Emetu, who chairs the boundary committee, was said to have intervened following repeated petitions from neighbouring Ndi Ojiugwo Abam, alleging encroachment and rising tensions linked to the prolonged non-execution of the judgment.
Officials said the intervention aims to eliminate long-standing ambiguities on the ground, prevent communal conflict, and establish boundary certainty through lawful and professional processes.
Addressing concerns about the map being used for the exercise, the government stated that the document guiding the fieldwork is a Certified True Copy originally presented by Ndi Ebe Abam during litigation and relied upon by the courts. It added that both Ndi Ebe Abam and Ndi Ojiugwo Abam examined and accepted the same map during consultations preceding the commencement of field activities.
The government dismissed claims that an altered or externally imposed map was being used, describing such assertions as inaccurate.
On the conduct of the exercise, officials clarified that the current phase involves field tracing rather than permanent demarcation. Boundary pillars, they said, would only be installed after technical consultations and agreement among professional surveyors representing all parties, in accordance with established surveying standards.
The state further disclosed that it had convened multiple conciliatory meetings with both communities, consulted prominent Abam stakeholders, and formally engaged the traditional leadership of Ndi Ebe Abam. These engagements, it said, culminated in a joint resolution on 18 December 2025 committing both sides to commence field tracing and boundary demarcation in the first quarter of 2026.
While acknowledging concerns that lands outside the litigated area could be affected, the government maintained that speculative or prospective claims cannot lawfully suspend enforcement of a Supreme Court judgment. Any grievances beyond the scope of the decided case, it noted, must follow separate legal channels.
Reaffirming its position, the Abia State Government stated that the judgment will be implemented in a transparent and professional manner, with dialogue continuing alongside technical processes to ensure peace.
It called on all stakeholders to cooperate with constituted authorities and allow the exercise to proceed, stressing that the ultimate goal is lasting stability and development anchored on respect for the rule of law in Abia State.
