CALABAR—BARELY 24 hours to the expiration of the
window of opportunity to appeal against the International court of Justice,
ICJ, ruling that ceded the oil-rich Baka
window of opportunity to appeal against the International court of Justice,
ICJ, ruling that ceded the oil-rich Baka
ssi Peninsula to Cameroon in October 10, 2002, there are influx
of stern looking men believed to be security operatives from Cameroon
of stern looking men believed to be security operatives from Cameroon
The increased presence of security operatives from Cameroon according to
Nigerian Sources at the island was to ensure that the country takes absolute
control of the area following Nigeria’s failure to appeal against the judgment
or call for a review.
The Sources also claimed that in the past few weeks, Nigerian indigenes
resident at the disputed island have not been able to reach at their relations
in Nigeria through phone calls, while the Cameroon government had infiltrated
families of Nigerians at the area causing division among them.
A highly placed Bakassi Local Government Council official who spoke with
Vanguard on condition of anonymity alleged that some Nigerians doing business
at the Peninsula had complained of harassment by the Cameroon security agents.
The official also said that there had been many strange faces suspected to be
security personnel coming in groups in preparation of taking complete control
of the place.
Meanwhile, President of Academic Staff Union of Universities, Dr. Nasir Isa has
said that Nigeria made a mistake in handling the matter and that the federal
government also made a great mistake by committing herself to hand over Bakassi
to Cameroon, adding that children in Bakassi have the right to decide where to
belong.
Also commenting over the federal government refusal to appeal against the ICJ
ruling, the governorship candidate on the platform of Hope Democratic Party,
HDP, in the February 25, 2012 elections in Cross River State, Dr. Theo Onyuku
said that the tragedy, the pains and the subterfuge of the loss of Bakassi
Peninsula to Cameroon following an unenforceable ICJ ruling will forever hunt
the Nigeria nation.
Onyuku who is a medical consultant turned politician alleged that, “The
ignoble, irresponsible, deceitful and self-serving roles of former President
Olusegun Obasanjo, the former Cross River State governor, Mr. Donald Duke and
all the elected and appointed leaders of Cross River extraction will hunt them
to their graves.
“In 2006, before the first phase of hand over of Bakassi to Cameroon, we warned
against the dire consequences of ceding the territory to Cameroon without
recourse to the national assembly, the dire security and socio-economic implications,
but the PDP leaders in the state branded us as faceless opposition group.
“Today they are now shouting. Have we forgotten that the self-acclaimed Mama
Bakassi was the special adviser President Obasanjo on national assembly, what
did she do for the, she suddenly became blind, deaf and dumb.
“She was active in the seat of power, she did nothing and betrayed the Bakassi
people to secure her job and today she is protesting, what an apostate.
”Ex Governor Duke traded off the island for a selfish presidential ambition.
Why, Obasanjo ceded Bakassi unconstitutionally in obedience to a useless Green
Tree Agreement because he wanted international support for his third term
gambit and noble prize for peace,” he alleged.
Source: Vanguard
