FG to continue demarcation of Benue, Nasarawa boundary

The Federal government has disclosed that it would resume demarcation exercises on the boundary between Benue and Nasarawa states.

The demarcation exercise between the two states was temporarily put off on April, 6,2022 due to security challenges that rocked the two states.

The Director General of the National Boundary Commission (NBC), Adamu Adaji, recalled that already the Federal Government and the States Governments had intervened in the interstate Boundary severally over the years.

Adaji recounted that the Commission first intervened on the boundary in 2006 and had cause to have worked severally thereafter.

The DG added that a Joint Meeting of Officials held in December 2021 recommended field demarcation exercise be undertaken and only two pillars were placed before work was stalled.

Adaji, however, regretted that out of the pillars emplaced, three were reported to have been destroyed shortly after they were emplaced and action on the boundary has been stalled since then.

According to him, today’s (Wednesday) meeting is therefore to consider all issues that affected the progress on the boundary and to come up with appropriate measures aimed at fast-tracking the boundary definition and demarcation processes.

In his remarks, Benue State governor Rev. Fr. Hyacinth lormem Alia represented by the commissioner for lands survey and solid minerals, Matins Shaagee, appealed for ameniable resolution of the boundary issues at the Joint Meeting of Officials, to pave way for the resumption of the demarcation exercise in earnest.

According to the Benue Governor, there can be no development in the two states without peace, urging his counterpart of Nasarawa State for amicable resolution of dispute

In his part, Dr. Emmanuel Akabe, deputy governor of Nasarwa state who represented Governor Sule Abdullahi in his remarks urged the two states to collaborate towards the eradication of transborder crime rather than engage in boundary conflicts.

According to him the two states are brothers and would better function if they collaborated together, but regretted the talks on boundary has to forth and back.

He noted that an agreement was reached on emplacement of certain pillars at the last joint meetings between the two states.