UN suspends Nigeria, Cameroon maritime boundary demarcation

The Joint Technical Team, comprising the United Nations, Nigerian and Cameroonian officials, has suspended the demarcation of the maritime boundary between Nigeria and Cameroon.

Bakassi indigenes numbering about 50 on Thursday carried placards to the Pyramids Hotel where the JTT delegation was lodged to register their grievances.

After a closed door meeting between the leaders of the displaced Bakassi people – Chief Maurice Ekong, and Chief Ani Esin – and the UN team, it was resolved that the demarcation be suspended while the people were asked to forward a written petition to the UN.

Though efforts made by our correspondent to speak with the UN delegation failed, the Bakassi representatives said the talks were successful.

Ekong, who spoke to journalists  said, “The outcome of the meeting was successful because we told them exactly what the position is and at the end of the day, they gave us the assurance that the demarcation stands suspended.

“They also asked us to forward a letter to them for onward delivery to the United Nations office at New York.

“So that is the long and short of what happened and, of course, we gave them all assurances that there is no cause for alarm.”

Ekong said they told the JTT that their people were particularly worried about the high incidence of extrajudicial killings in the Peninsula.

He said, “The worth of life in Bakassi is less than that of a domestic animal. So we told them that it was totally unacceptable. It is not in conformity with the tenets of the foundation and formation of the United Nations.

“They saw reason with us and we made them to understand that it will only be proper for the United Nations to go to Bakassi, as the Green Tree Agreement has failed totally and woefully.

“And of course we sent a message to the Cameroonian delegation that quite a number of our people have been arrested and detained by the Cameroonian gendarmes and secret police.

“So we have been assured that all these things would be looked into and they are going to form part of the letter we are going to send to the UN through this demarcation team and we are optimistic that they will work on them. But the most important part is that the demarcation exercise stands suspended.”

Source: Punch