Photo: Goodluck Okam/FB
The people of Ofutop in Ikom Local Government Area have restated their firm position on the long-standing boundary matter between their community and Ochon/Isabang in Obubra LGA, declaring the Ukpon River as the rightful dividing line.
In a position paper released by community leaders, Ofutop cited colonial-era judgments and administrative records that settled the issue decades ago. According to them, the matter was first laid to rest in 1933 when District Officer R. S. Mallinson ruled that the Ukpon River marked the official boundary. The ruling also prohibited Ochon/Isabang people from farming or cutting trees on the eastern bank of the river.
The judgment was later reaffirmed in 1941 by another District Officer, M. P. Ralley, who emphasized that rivers are permanent and natural boundaries that do not require further reviews. An intelligence report by Captain G. H. Hudson also defined Ofutop’s territorial limits, with the Ukpon River clearly stated as its western boundary.
“These rulings and reports leave no room for doubt,” the Ofutop community maintained. “The Ukpon River is both the natural and legal boundary, and any contrary claim is without historical or legal basis.”
Community leaders stressed that the same river line still serves as the official boundary between Ikom and Obubra LGAs today, as inherited from colonial administrative divisions. They described any attempt by Ochon/Isabang to extend claims east of the river as “illegal and unfounded.”
For Ofutop people, the issue is settled history. “We will continue to protect our rights of ownership, farming, and usage of our lands east of the Ukpon River,” the statement concluded, reaffirming their commitment to peace but also to defending their ancestral lands.
This latest position comes amid growing calls for clearer recognition of historic community boundaries across Cross River State to prevent conflicts and strengthen coexistence.
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