Senate to probe annexation of Akwa Ibom territories by Cameroon

The Senate on Tuesday set up an ad-hoc committee to investigate alleged annexation of maritime territories, mangrove islands villages of Effiat clan in Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State..

This followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by a Senator from Akwa Ibom, Aniekan Bassey and co-sponsored by six others at the plenary in Abuja.

The ad-hoc committee is headed by Senator Jimoh Ibrahim.

Other Members of the committee are Senators Adeniyi Adegbonmire, Seriake Dickson, Shehu Kaka and Ipalibo Harry Banigo.

The rest are – Senators Agom Jarigbe, Ekong Sampson and Aniekan Bassey.

Mbo mangrove island is a fishing settlement, west of the Rio Del Ray estuary and serves as the official borderline between Nigeria and Cameroon.

READ ALSO: FG summons Cameroonian ambassador over 97 Nigerians killed in Bakassi

According to reports, the island hosts oil wells and abundant gas reserves.

Bassey in his motion brought under Orders 41 and 51 of Senate standing rules, said the areas were not part of the territory ceded to the Cameroonian government.

He said given the 1913 Anglo-Japan treaties and the International Court of Justice ruling of Oct 2002, the encroachment into the territories was illegal.

He said the encroachment had led to huge economic loss of over 2,560 oil wells and gas revenues which were to accrue to Nigeria.

He said the annexation was very pathetic, adding that it remained a monumental and national embarrassment that foreign laws were imposed by the Cameroonian government on Nigerians living in 16 ancestral homes and villages.

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