Honorable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), on Thursday expressed the displeasure of the Federal Government with reports of human rights abuses against Nigerians living in Bakassi Peninsula, the oil-rich region ceded to neighbours Cameroon.
Adoke was speaking in his capacity as Leader of the Nigerian Delegation to the 30th session of the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed-Commission (CNMC), holding at the Congress Hall of Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.
He thanked Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan and his Cameroonian counterpart, Paul Biya for their commitment to peace and African brotherhood, noting that CNMC couldn’t have been meeting without the courage and wisdom of the two leaders, their continuing support for the work of the commission, and their abiding faith in it as a novel paradigm in conflict resolution.
He listed the most significant achievements of the Mixed-Commission as prevalence of peace between the two countries — something they can both be proud of, because the atmosphere would have been different if the common problems between them were not resolved amicably.
He emphasised that the peace and brotherly relations existing between both countries have led to the attainment of milestones such as the handover and transfer of sovereignty of the villages affected by the ICJ judgment in the Lake Chad Area in 2003, the handover and transfer of sovereignty of some selected villages along the land boundary in 2004, the withdrawal of the Nigerian Military from the Bakassi- Peninsula in 2006, the delineation of the maritime boundary between Nigeria and Cameroon in the Gulf of Guinea in accordance with the ICJ judgment (accomplished in May 2007), accomplishment of the field work necessary for the commencement of Pillar Emplacement in over 90 per cent of the land boundary, and confidence-building measures that have continually strengthened the bond of friendship and brotherhood between the two countries.
However, he expressed unhappiness with reports of ill-treatment of Nigerians resident in Bakassi, saying, “Mr. Chairman, let me reiterate my earlier representation to the 20th Meeting of the Follow-Up Committee, that the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is concerned about reported cases of maltreatment of its citizens in the Bakassi Peninsula.
“As I reiterated on that occasion, while Nigeria would continue to honour its international obligations, the Government is concerned about this situation and its possible effect on the work of the CNMC. The effect of this allegations and the political pressure they engender cannot be overemphasized as they impact profoundly on the level of public confidence between the Government and its citizens.”
He then called on the Cameroonian Authorities to — in the spirit of Article 4 of the Green Tree Agreement and other International Human Rights Instruments, which both countries are signatories to — urgently investigate and take measures to address these concerns.
He said the step is important, as it would provide the enabling political environment for the activities of the CNMC and the Follow-Up Committee, in addition to strengthening the hand of government in its resolve to faithfully implement the ICJ judgment.
