with legal, diplomatic and historial expertise to study the fresh
facts that have emerged showing that International Court of Justice
(ICJ) was misled into ceding the Bakassi peninsula to Cameroun when
vital informations that clearly placed Bakassi as a territory within
the geographical, political and administrative jurisdiction and
control of Nigeria, were concealed to the jurists of the World Court.
International relations experts, renowned historians, researchers and
politicians told Vanguard newspaper that contrary to the claims by
Cameroon and Nigerian legal teams that the first legal treaty on the
Land and Maritime borders between Nigerian and Cameroon was the 1913
Anglo-German treaty, there are discoveries of fresh facts that
revealed that the limits of the Land and maritime boundaries between
both countries went as far back as 1811 when the British made the
treaty that went from the Lake Chad region down to the Atlantic ocean
through the Rio Del Rey Estuary.
The Great Fraud
1. There are evidence to show that in 1994 when a new dispute erupted
between Nigeria and Cameroon, Nigeria asked the British government to
attest to the true status of Bakassi Peninsula, the British government
replied to assert that the Peninsula belongs to Nigeria.
2. This was when Alhaji Babagana Kingibe was Nigeria's Minister of
External Affairs but curiously that document was not tendered at the
ICJ trial.
3. There are fresh evidence to show that in the March 18, 1961,
plebiscite in Southern Cameroon, to determine areas that either wanted
to stay in Cameroun or join Nigeria, Bakassi Penisula was not among
the areas that participated in the exercise because it was given that
it was not part of Cameroun. According to Southern Cameroun gazette
Volume 7 number14, the areas that were asked to determine where they
want to belong included Mamfe, Bamenda, Kumba, and Victoria. More
importantly the people of Bakassi have voted in Nigerian elections
and the Nigerian Customs has been in control of the territorial waters
since 1811.
4. The 1913 Anglo-German treaty which Cameroon rested its claim was
not signed by both countries before the outbreak of the First World
War in 1914.
5. Germany renounced all its terrirorial claims at the end of the war
in 1919 and all the former territories controlled by Germany came
under the mandate of the League of Nations
6. There are clear cases of ethnic cleansing in Bakassi peninsula in
the past 10 years in violation of the Green Tree Agreement.
According to Prof. Walter Ofonagoro, who is a Historian and former
Nigerian Information minister who did his Ph.D thesis on Southern Oil
protectorate, "fresh facts have emerged to show that the Cameroonian
legal team deceived the ICJ into believing that before the Ango-German
treaty of 1913 upon which it rested its case, there were no other
treaties that delineated the land and maritime boundary between
Nigeria and Cameroon, which is a fraudulent claim."
Prof. Ofonagoro said that he has "in his possession 1822 documents
which vested ownership of the Bakassi Peninsula to the Old Calabar
Chiefs by extension to Nigeria and debunked claims that the 1913
Anglo-German treaty was the first recongnised treaty on the land and
maritime boundary between Nigeria and Cameroon. Said Prof. Ofonagoro
"this is not true because as far back as 1811, the British had already
established a strong sphere of influence over the territories that
eventually became Nigeria in 1914. He said "the Anglo-German treaty
upon which Cameroon built its case was contestible because after the
First World war ended in 1919, all the territories controlled by
Germany were taken away from them and given to the league of nations.
He said "there were other treaties between Nigeria and Cameroon on the
Land and Maritime boundaries which were entered into in 1884,1885 and
1886 all of which clearly demarcated the land and Maritime border
between Nigeria and Cameroon from the Lake Chad region down to the
Akwa Yafe river which was the land border from Akwa Yafe to Rio Del
Rey estuary to the Atlantic ocean.
"When the Germans got to Akwa Yafe River they discovered that they
could not gain a direct access to the sea because going toward west of
Akwa Yafe river will take them straight to the Calabar seaport. The
Calabar Sea Port was clearly outlined in the treaty this was the main
port of entry for the British merchants, and later missionaries, who
were the first to establish sphere of influence in Nigeria. He said
there was no way the British would have granted the Germans a boundary
access that would have constrained their access to the Calabar power.
"The British were fully in control of the Calabar sea Port. The
Germans went East of Akwa Yafe River, which took them to the Rio Del
Rey estuary to the sea. This ensured that the Bakassi Peninsula was on
the West, which put the Peninsula on the Nigerian territory. The
predominant population on the Peninsula then were the Efiks and Efuts,
who were of Efik kingdom which stretched up to Khumba, Victoria and
Bamenda.
Grounds for appeal for review
Although the Federal Government has been reluctant to listen to the
calls from the National Assembly, the Judiciary, the Nigerian Bar
Association to appeal for a review, Prof. Ofonagoro said "Nigeria has
very strong ground to approach the ICJ for a revision of its decision
because there are concrete material facts and documentary evidence
that were not before the ICJ in 2002 which would have helped to guide
the world jurists in their decision". Ofonagoro said: "If the ICJ
should allow a judgment that was obtained by fraud and concealment of
feet to stand, and grave in justice would have been down to the people
of ICJ. The reputation of ICJ would have been tarnished because the
whole world expects it to do justice at all time." He added that the
Nigerian defence team went to the Hague to agree with the Cameroonians
that before 1913, there were no other treaties between the two
colonial power, which is false. But more fallacious is the fact that
the Cameroon of 1919, was not the Cameroon of 1913, because after the
end of the First World War, Germany was forced to give up all it
territories in Africa, which came under the mandate of League of
Nations.
Senator Ewah Bassey Henshaw said: "We have evidence from the memoir of
the German ambassador in 1913 who negotiated the so-called 1913 Anglo
German treaty. He said the treaty was not signed because the distrust
between Britain and Germany at that time and the conflict between the
envoy and some officials of his own country. In 1961 when a referendum
was conducted in Southern Cameroon on which part it wishes to belong
after the British ended its colonial rule Bakassi Peninsula was not
included by because it was regarded as part and parcel of Nigeria. In
the areas such as Issangale that were included in referendum, they
voted to be in Nigeria.
Speaking at the Vanguard Conference Hall in Lagos, Senator Henshaw
said the ICJ has a duty to review its judgment wich gave the
sovereignty of Bakassi to Cameroon because it was obtained by fraud
and deceits. He said we are not asking for too much for the ICJ to
take a second look at the fresh facts and our action is covered by
Artcle 61 of ICJ which empowers people to come back for a review of
their judgment if there are fresh facts that surfaced when the
decision was made which have substantially affected the judgement. The
president who has sworn on oath to defend the territorial integrity of
Nigeria and the constitution should assist the people of Bakassi by
asking the AGF to appeal for a review of the ICJ verdict.
Chief Maurice Ekong of Save Bakassi Group said the area has enough
evidence to prove to the world and the ICJ that the people of Bakassi
are being used as pawns in the power game of Africa where the
indigenous people of Bakassi are being forced into perpetual slavery
in Cameroon or into perpetual refugees in Nigeria, while their God
given land is sacrificed by Nigeria to show gratitude to Cameroon in
the spirit of brotherhood, for supporting the Federal Government to
defeat Biafra. We subscribe to the unity and corporate existence of
Nigeria but the price that Bakassi people are being forced to pay is
too great for us to carry. We cannot carry a life time burden of
servitude and impoverishment to keep Nigeria one.
According to Ekong the 1975 Maroua declaration is a justification of
the fraud of 1913 and other fraudulent treaties that were entered into
without seeking the opinion of Bakassi people. We have no hands in
what Gowon and Obasanjo did, we were not party to the war and we would
not accept to be donated as a booty of war to Cameroon or to any other
party on earth.
Hon Aniefok Inynag said the people of Bakassi are making a peaceful
appeal to the world to give them a listening ear. When crisis erupts
in Bakassi, the entire Gulf of Guinea will be be affected. The entire
projections that the 25 per cent of global oil supply will come from
this region will be in jeopardy. We will have a situation similar to
Pacific Ocean where Somali pirates have become a major threat to
global trade and maritime.
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