House Moves to Halt Ceding of Cross River Communities to Cameroon

Juliet Akoje in Abuja

The House of Representatives yesterday resolved to stop the moves to cede Danare and Biajua Communities in Boki Local Government Area of Cross River State of Nigeria through Pillar 113A to the Republic of Cameroon.

The House also invited the Director General of the National Boundary Commission and Surveyor General of the Federation to answer questions as to why pillar 113A had not been found.

Consequently, the lawmakers resolved to investigate and assess the case of potential land encroachment by the Cameroonian Government and consult with legal experts, land surveyors, and other relevant professionals to ensure a thorough understanding of the technical aspect involved in ending the encroachment.

The resolution followed the adoption of a motion jointly sponsored by members of the House from Cross River yesterday, presided by the Deputy Speaker of the House, Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu.

Victor Bisong Abang, while presenting the motion said on October 10, 2002, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) had ruled that the proprietorship of the Bakassi peninsula belongs to Cameroon, due to an agreement between the governments of Nigeria and Cameroon during the civil war.

He said in July 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that Cross River State had no right of ownership of over 76 oil wells due to the loss of its littoral status when portions of the peninsula were ceded to Cameroon by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

“The ICJ ruling decides the retracing of the Cameroon-Nigeria International Boundary line from the Lake Chad region (Yola) to the Atlantic Ocean (Bakassi), subsequently United Nations (UN) set up two Committees to implement the judgment which led to the establishment of the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission (CNMC), made up of representatives from Nigeria, Cameroon and officials of the United Nations.

“The fieldwork which involves the location of the boundary points and placement of boundary pillars by the judgment was undertaken by a Joint Technical Team (JTT), a sub-body of the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission, with both countries’ representatives on the JTT while technical expertise is supplied by a foreign contractor and paid by the CNMC,” he stated.

He further stated that, “The field exercise or demarcation conducted by the JTT must be an adopted demarcation in any sector considered valid and conclusive by the CNMC.

“The Anglo-German agreement of the Cameroon-Nigeria boundary of 12 April 1913, indicated a total of 114 boundary pillars from the Lake Chad region  (Yola Adamawa State) to Agbokim in Etung Local Government of Area of Cross River State, planted by the Anglo-German had serial numbers written on the pillars, six of the boundary pillars fall within the Danare community in Boki Local Government Area of Cross River State, the international boundary its include; 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, and 113A respectively.

“The Anglo-German agreement clearly states that the contextual pillar 113A is 9.6 Km from pillar 113 into the forest leading to pillar 114 that fall in Agbokim in Etung Local Government Area.”

He argued that under the principles of federalism, the federal government has the responsibility to protect the territorial integrity of all federating units, and not unilaterally cede, sell, mortgage, or allocate any part of a federating unit to another country without the consent of the House.

“The lack of concerted effort by the JTT to trace a critical pillar point that will determine the correct boundary line has generated controversy.

“It is a worrisome situation that even when the team understands that they are lacking in their assignment because a critical pillar is yet to be retraced, instead of the team going back and doing the needful, they decided to propose a straight-line projection to close the gap between pillar 113 to 114.”

The motion attracted support from many members of the House, including Yusuf Adamu Gagdi from Plateau, Fredie Agbedi from Bayelsa, Ahmed Jaha (Borno) and Beni Lar Plateau

The lawmakers said that the motion was timely, vowing that the parliament cannot sit down and watch the territorial boundary of Nigeria ceded to another country.