Seventeen years after the ceding of part of the Bakassi Peninsula by Nigeria, the Indigenous Displaced People of Bakassi Communities (IDPBC) have called on the federal government to remove Bakassi Local Government Area (LGA) from the 774 LGAs recognized by the Nigerian constitution. In a petition submitted to President Bola Tinubu on January 6, 2025, the group highlighted a series of grievances that stem from unresolved issues arising from the 2002 judgment by the International Court of Justice at The Hague, which resulted in the ceding of Bakassi to Cameroon.
The petition, which is signed by 13 key stakeholders including former elected council chairman Iyadim Amboni Iyadim, clan head HRH Edem Archibong, and Bishop Samuel Asuquo, urges the Nigerian government to act immediately or face legal action in the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice. The petition was also copied to the Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Attorney General of the Federation, and Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong.
Among the group’s six demands, the IDPBC seeks the abrogation of Cross River State Law No. 7 of 2007, which created a new Bakassi from the Akpabuyo LGA, and calls for the development of the unceded parts of the Bakassi Peninsula, such as Dayspring 1 and 2, and Kwa Islands. The IDPBC claims that allocations meant for the development of these areas have been misappropriated in Akpabuyo LGA, thereby undermining the rights and needs of the displaced communities.
Other demands include the relocation of the local council headquarters from Ikot Effilm in Akpabuyo LGA to Abana in Dayspring Island, which they argue is constitutionally recognized, and immediate land reclamation, shoreline protection, and infrastructure development on the two islands. The IDPBC has also called for the provision of adequate security on the islands to protect the lives and property of their people.
The petition states, “Failure to grant these prayers after 17 years of ceding part of our ancestral homeland will compel us to approach the relevant court to address these issues.” They also insist that the federal government must direct the National Assembly to delist Bakassi LGA from the 774 LGAs to prevent further misappropriation of funds meant for Bakassi in Akpabuyo LGA.