The Nigerian Senate has established an ad hoc committee to investigate claims that Cameroon has illegally annexed the country’s mangrove islands and maritime territories. The committee, chaired by Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, has been tasked with submitting a report within two months, outlining recommendations on how to resolve the issue.
The Senate also called on President Bola Tinubu to take immediate action to safeguard Nigeria’s territorial waters and secure the country’s oil assets, including over 2,560 oil wells located within the disputed mangrove islands in Akwa Ibom State.
Senator Aniekan Bassey (Akwa Ibom North-East), who presented the motion, expressed concern over the alleged annexation, stating that it poses significant economic and territorial risks to Nigeria. Bassey noted that the islands in question, located in Efiat, Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, were not part of the areas ceded to Cameroon under the 1913 Anglo-German treaties or the International Court of Justice ruling of October 2002.
The Senate motion emphasized that the annexation violates several international agreements, including the 1964 Resolution of the Organisation of African Unity, which called for respect for the territorial borders of African nations following independence. Lawmakers called for a review of the ICJ judgment and urged the Federal Government to bring the issue before the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
