Akwa Ibom: Senate Probes alleged Annexation Of Maritime Territory By Cameroon

The Senate has set up an ad-hoc committee to investigate alleged annexation of the maritime territory and mangrove island villages of Effiat clan in Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom state.

This is sequel to the adoption of a motion by Senator Aniekan Bassey(PDP-Akwa Ibom) and co-sponsored by six other senators during plenary in Abuja.

The Mbo mangrove island is a fishing settlement, which lies west of the Rio Del Ray estuary and serves as the official borderline between Nigeria and Cameroon.

According to reports, the island hosts oil wells and abundant gas reserves.

Bassey, in his motion brought under order 41 and 51 of the Senate standing rules said the areas were not part of the territory ceded to the government of Cameroon.

He said given the 1913 Anglo-Japan treaties and the International Court of Justice ruling of Oct 2002, the encroachment into the territories were illegal.

He said the encroachment had led to huge economic loss of over 2,560 oil wells and gas revenues which were to accrue to Nigeria.

He described the annexation as very pathetic and a monumental national embarrassment that foreign laws are imposed by Cameroonian government on Nigerians living in 16 ancestral homes and villages.

Bassey said it was a threat that the Anglo-Island waters situated at the geographical location of Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom state was currently under administrative control of the Republic of Cameroon.

This, he said was illegal and contrary to the 1913 Anglo-Japan treaties and the International Court of Justice decision of October 2002 and section 12 sub sections 1,2 3 of the Nigerian Constitution as amended.

He said the islands and waters are economically important to the region, as it also hosts copious fishing routes.

Bassey said it was worrisome that the continued expansion of foreign policy of the Republic of Cameroun after independence of Nigeria through illegal annexation of the 16 villages of the Nigerian mangrove Islands, waters and oil wells constitutes a breach of international law.

“It is an affront on Nigeria’s territorial integrity and unlawful exploitation of Nigeria’s economic resources,” he said.

He said the International Court of Justice had ordered both Nigeria and Cameroon to withdraw sovereignty over areas they were not entitled to under the 1913 Anglo German treaties.

This, he said, resulted in Nigeria hurriedly ceding over 32 villages from Adamawa to the Lake Chad areas to the Republic of Cameroon.

He, however, said Cameroon on its part had continued to hold up Nigerian territories, thus adversely affecting the people and the economy of the entire nation.

James Itodo, Edited By Blessing Nyor