Tension Mounts As UN, Cameroon Annex More Nigerian Villages

A team of United Nations and Cameroon officials backed by Nigerian troops have recently resumed the demarcation of the Nigerian border with Cameroon in Boki Local Government Area even as protesting youths in the community were over-powered by soldiers.
The Tide learnt that the officials arrived Danare and Bijuna at 9am last weekend and resumed the border demarcation exercise which was suspended in March this year following protests by the chiefs and youths of the two communities which the demarcation exercise will likely cede to the Cameroons.
Consequently, the Senate Leader, Sen. Victor Ndoma-Egba (PDP-Cross River), has alerted the Senate on renewed moves by the UN Demarcation Committee to cede more territories of Nigeria to Cameroon.
Speaking under Order 42 of the Senate Standing Rules, Ndoma-Egba told the Senate that border demarcation between Nigeria and Cameroon was currently ongoing, adding that the exercise was generating anxiety in his constituency.
“The exercise is going on in my constituency and it is causing a lot of anxiety among my constituents.
“They fear that at the end of the exercise, we will be losing communities to Cameroon,’’ Ndoma-Egba said.
He later told journalists that he would get details of the exercise, adding that the matter was a motion before the Senate to be discussed when it resumes from recess.
“I have information that right now, pursuant to the Green Tree Agreement that resulted in the ceding of Bakassi to Cameroon that some boundary adjustment exercises is going on.
“They are right now in a place called Danarre in Boki Local Government Area of Cross River, and it is in my constituency.
“And there is a lot of anxiety among the people that the exercise will result in loss of territory to Cameroon.
“I don’t have the details, but I am going to the constituency now and when I get home, I will get more details and bring a formal motion on the floor,’’ he said.
Ndoma-Egba said the Green Tree Agreement extended beyond Cross River to establish international borders in Borno and Adamawa states.
“The Green Tree Agreement was not all about Bakassi; it involved well established international borders from Borno.
“We have borders with Cameroon from Borno state through Adamawa and down to Cross River,’’ Ndoma-Egba said.
Earlier in his ruling, Senate President David Mark stated emphatically that Nigeria would never “under whatsoever guise, cede any portion of her territory to any country’’.
“This country must never, never under any circumstance surrender one millimeter of her land to any country irrespective of who is supervising it, whether it is the United Nations or African Union,’’ Mark said.
Mark ruled that the matter would be discussed on June 24 when the Senate is expected to return from recess.
However, Mr. Cletus Obun, a community leader in the area said the UN and Cameroonian officials are using the wrong map and voided Anglo – German Treaty in the demarcation exercise which will lead to loss of parts of Cross River State.
“Why the rush to demarcate the border when they have not been able to trace beacon 113A which is missing”, he said.
Obun, a cone-time member of the state House of Assembly, stated that if the officials are allowed to trace the border without locating the missing beacon, four local governments areas in Cross River State will be ceded to Cameroon.
“Tension is mounting in the community because we cannot understand why the demarcation of our border while the state is still grieving the loss of Bakassi to Cameroon recently”, he said.
But, the Cross River State Attorney general and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Attah Ochinke said that the demarcation exercise “does not pose any potent threat to the land people of the two communities but the youths are protesting based on anxiety which the Cross River State Government is appropriately handling to avoid any crisis”.
He said the demarcation is not new but an exercise which has been going on for quite some time to retrace the Cameroon and Nigerian border following the Anglo – German Treaty of 1913.
“That demarcation is not new but has been going on for sometime to establish the border between the two countries as contained in the Agreement between the colonial masters, Britain and Germany in 1913”, he noted.
Ochinke said the protest by the youths in based on the fear and anxiety that some part of their land will be ceded to Cameroon, which is not the case.
“The border line passes directly behind the Primary School in Danare 2, so there is anxiety by the people that their land will be ceded to Cameroon but I can say with authority that no part of Cross River land or its people will be ceded to Cameroon or vice versa”, the commissioner explained.