The Nigerian Senate has set up an ad hoc committee to investigate claims that Cameroon has illegally annexed Nigeria’s mangrove islands and maritime territories.
The committee, led by Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, has been given two months to submit a report with recommendations on resolving the dispute.
Lawmakers have also urged President Bola Tinubu to take immediate action to protect Nigeria’s territorial waters and secure over 2,560 oil wells located within the contested islands in Akwa Ibom State.
Senator Aniekan Bassey (Akwa Ibom North-East), who moved the motion, argued that the affected areas were never part of the 1913 Anglo-German treaties or the 2002 International Court of Justice ruling that ceded Bakassi to Cameroon.
He warned that Cameroonian forces were imposing foreign laws on Nigerians in 16 ancestral villages, leading to economic losses.
Other senators, including Jimoh Ibrahim, Abdul Ningi, and Ned Nwoko, called for a review of the ICJ judgment, warning against a repeat of the Bakassi situation.
The Senate urged the Federal Government to escalate the issue at the United Nations and ensure Nigeria’s sovereignty remains intact.