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The Nigerian Senate on Tuesday constituted an ad-hoc committee to investigate the illegal annexation of parts of Nigerian territories by the Cameroonian government, particularly the mangrove islands at Efiat-Mbo in South-South Nigeria.
The resolution of plenary followed a motion sponsored by Senator Aniekan Bassey, representing Akwa Ibom North East Senatorial District, and co-sponsored by five others, in which lawmakers expressed concern over the crude attacks on Nigerians living in the affected areas.
The motion, which was raised under Orders 41 and 51 of the Senate Standing Orders 2023 (as amended), drew the attention of the upper chamber to the illegal annexation of Nigeria’s mangrove islands situated at Efiat in Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State by the Republic of Cameroon.
They expressed worry that the affected islands were not ceded to the government of Cameroon by the 1913 Anglo-German treaties or the International Court of Justice’s judgment of October 2002, pointing out that the encroachment by the Republic of Cameroon has resulted in economic losses for Nigeria.
The motion revealed that over 2,560 oil wells and gas revenues that ought to accrue to Nigeria were being illegally exploited by the Republic of Cameroon, lamenting that Cameroonian gendarmes are imposing foreign laws on Nigerian citizens living in the corridor.
The motion stated: “These islands and waters are economically important to the region as they host fishing routes, and approximately 2,560 oil wells and gas reserves are located in the region.”
The sponsors of the motion declared that there was no doubt that 16 villages in the mangrove islands were captured in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, but the Republic of Cameroon, through its expansionist foreign policy, was in pursuit of the 16 villages, waters, and oil resources, which constitutes a breach of international law.
Senator Abdul Ningi, representing Bauchi Central Senatorial District, lamented the development, particularly the judgment of the International Court of Justice, and urged the Nigerian government to rise to the occasion of securing the “highly threatened 16 villages of the mangrove islands and their economic resources.”
Other senators who spoke on the motion were unanimous in their call for the Nigerian government to act urgently.
In his remarks, Senate President Godswill Obot Akpabio, after thanking the sponsors of the motion, emphasized that the mangrove islands and their oil wells were not just about the benefits to individual states but about the economy of the nation.
After the motion was adopted, he constituted an investigative committee to take immediate action and report back to the Committee of the Whole in good time.
