Cross River state Governor, Nigeria says Cameroon will no longer take their lands in the name of ICJ court judgment
By Nde Laura
The Governor of Cross River state, Nigeria Bassey Otu has stated that his administration will no longer allow any part of its lands to be handed over to Cameroon in the name of implementing the 2002 judgment of the International Court of Justice.
“Let it be known that Cross River will no longer allow any part of its lands to be ceded to Cameroon in the name of implementing the 2002 judgment of the ICJ,”.
He made the declaration during a public hearing organized by the House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee on August 7, 2023.
This committee was set up to investigate a land dispute between the Danare community in the Boki Local Government Area of Cross River and the Biajua community, which was split between Cross River and Cameroon.
During the outing, the Governor noted that they are still dealing with the consequences of the loss of the Bakassi peninsula and its 76 oil wells to Cameroon after the 2002 judgment by the International Court of Justice declared that Nigeria should give parts of the Bakassi Peninsula in Cross River to Cameroon.
According to the Governor, he believes that the issue could be revisited while urging the committee to invite relevant stakeholders involved in the loss of the peninsula to get to the root of the matter.
The committee chairman, Beni Lar, while addressing stakeholders, said the house had passed a resolution on July 5, 2023, to investigate the circumstances leading to the boundary dispute between Nigeria and Cameroon and the essence was to unravel the circumstances leading to the non-traceability and displacement of a crucial international pillar, 113A, the demarcation of the boundary between Cameroon and Nigeria.
However, some of the stakeholders and leaders of the Danare and Biajua communities led by Cletus Obung stated that the federal government’s attitude has also not been encouraging.
“The Nigerian government has not made a strong statement to intervene in the situation and prevent our communities from being ceded to the republic of Cameroon; this is disappointing,” he noted, local media, the Cable News reported.
This situation comes in prelude to the visit of the former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo to Cameroon to commemorate the 15th anniversary of the retrocession of the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon by Nigeria.
*The 2002 judgment of the International Court of Justice
On October 10, 2002, the International Court of Justice gave its decision on the merits of the case brought by Cameroon against Nigeria over the Bakassi peninsula and the maritime boundaries. In its judgment, the court asked Nigeria to withdraw all its administrative and military forces from the lake chad and Bakassi peninsula falling within the Cameroonian sovereignty and the same for Cameroon.
The territory was however ceded entirely to Cameroon on August 14, 2008, two years after the first part of it was transferred.
