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By Akpan David, Calabar
Chief Okoi Obono-Obla, former special assistant on prosecution to President Muhammadu Buhari has decried the failure of the Federal Government of Nigeria to adequately resettle the displaced residents of Bakassi Local Government Area in Cross River State.
He said it is outrageous and unacceptable that almost 22 years after the judgment of the International Court of Justice, ICJ, in the case between Cameroon versus Federal Republic of Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea ceding part of the Bakassi Peninsula to the Republic of Cameroon, the situation in the unceded part of Bakassi Peninsula that constitutes the Bakassi Local Government Area of Cross River State remains unresolved.
In a statement, Obono-Obla said the unceded parts of the Bakassi Peninsula, namely Dayspring 1, Dayspring 2, and Kwa Island, is also a cause for concern, especially as Bakassi headquarters is located in Ikot Effiom, which falls under Akpabuyo Local Government Area of the State, instead of Abana on Dayspring Island as stipulated in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).
The lawyer and activist also accused the state House of Assembly of failure and neglecting Bakassi by not lawfully protecting her.
“The Cross River State House of Assembly has failed to enact a law to properly adjust the boundaries between Bakassi LGA and Akpabuyo LGA, especially following the Supreme Court of Nigeria’s judgment dated 23 February 2018 in the case between the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Muri Eder Etim Asuquo and three others representing the people of Ikang Clan, Sighing Clan, and Antigua Ene Eyo Clan of Bakassi Local Government Area.
Obono-Obla alleged that there has been mismanagement of allocations meant for Bakassi LGA from the Federation accounts.
He also wondered why elections in Bakassi were conducted in Ikang 1, Ikang Central, and Ikang South in Akpabuyo Local Government Area by the Cross River State Independent Electoral Commission, instead of Dayspring 1, Dayspring 2, and Kwa Island within Bakassi Local Government Area.
Calling for urgent action in order for justice to be served, he called on both the federal and state governments to resolve these issues urgently, saying they violate the rights of the residents of Bakassi.
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