House of Reps to resolve Nigeria, Cameroon border Dispute

The House of Representatives is establishing and tendering diplomatic solutions towards resolving the plight of Nigerian citizens in Danare and Biajua communities at the disputed Nigeria Cameroon border.

Mrs Beni Lar, the Chairman of the House Adhoc committee probing the potential land encroachment at the border by the Cameroonian government, stated this during the proceedings of the committee.

Said she: “There has to be a way to keep our brothers and sisters in Nigeria by using diplomatic channels. I can’t imagine waking up and being told you are not a Nigerian. How would you feel. there is need to use compassionate ground we find a way to solve this issue.”

Mrs Lar spoke after she was informed by an official of the justice ministry that the 10 years window for Nigeria to appeal the judgment of the international court of justice (ICJ) ruling that ceded Bakassi and other parts of the country to Cameroon had elapsed.

She stated that the committee would embark on a fact finding mission to the affected areas, expressing readiness to meet with top government functionaries including the Justice Minister and Attorney general of the Federation to achieve the objective.

A member of the committee, Mr Francis Waive who sympathysed with the plight of the communities assured that the House would not allow an inch of Nigeria territory to be ceded to Cameroon again.

A representative of the Human Right commission who testified before the committee remarked that Nigerians in the affected communities stood the risk of finding themselves as a stateless people if the matter is not resolved in due course.

Adaji urged the Cross River state government to liase with the federal government to address the concerns bordering on farmlands raised by the affected communities.

A community leader from Boki, Cletus Obun, called for urgent intervention to avoid the loss of land and displacement of the people.

The Danare and Biajua communities and about 7,000–10,000 hectares of land in the Boki Area of Cross River State risk being lost to Cameroon according to a motion by lawmakers last week.