Missing landmarks and local resistance stall Edo-Kogi boundary settlement
The National Boundary Commission says efforts to resolve the Edo-Kogi boundary dispute remain incomplete because historical landmarks have disappeared, states continue to advance competing claims and communities have resisted demarcation. Commission director-general Adamu Adaji said an approved line exists, but further fieldwork depends on funding and agreement among affected stakeholders.
The boundary dispute between Edo and Kogi states remains unresolved because landmarks used in a 1954 legal description have disappeared, while communities and state authorities continue to contest the interpretation of the line, the National Boundary Commission has said. Commission Director-General Adamu Adaji made the comments in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja. He said the boundary was defined under Legal Notice No.
126 of 1954, which established the boundary between the Northern and Western regions. According to Adaji, some physical features mentioned in the document can no longer be found. This has made it difficult for technical experts to trace the original line without relying partly on interpretation, creating room for competing claims.
He said efforts dating back to 2006 had considered the positions of both states and produced a line that was subsequently approved by the Internal Boundary Committee. However, when a contractor began marking the line on the ground, communities along the corridor objected that it did not reflect their understanding of the boundary. The commission then resumed engagement with affected stakeholders.
Adaji said some parties later produced documents, including court judgments that had not previously been presented to the commission, requiring further examination and discussions with the states. He said the process remains active and that demarcation would begin when resources are available. The contested areas include Ogori-Ekpedo, Okene-Okpella and the Ake axis.
The commission is also addressing farmland disputes involving Ibaji communities in Kogi and Uloshi/Esan South-East in Edo. Adaji said the commission had made more progress on the Abia-Anambra boundary, agreeing 15km of its 23km length. About 8km remains disputed.
He urged communities to cooperate and said property rights should be protected regardless of which state ultimately administers a location.
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