by crossriverwatch admin
A team of United Nations and Cameroon officials backed by Nigerian troops on Tuesday (today) resumed the demarcation of the Nigerian border with Cameroon in Boki Local Government Area even as protesting youths in the community were over powered by soldiers.
The officials arrived Danare and Bijua at 9am and resumed the border demarcation exercise which was suspended in March this year following protests by the chiefs and youths of the two communities which demarcation exercise will likely make parts of the Cameroons.
Mr Cletus Obun, a community leader in the area said the UN and Cameroonian officials are using the wrong map and voided Anglo–German Treaty in the demarcation exercise which will lead to loss of parts of Cross River State. “Why the rush to demarcate the border when they have not been able to trace beacon 113A which is missing”
Mr Obun stated that if the officials are allowed to trace the border without locating the missing beacon four local governments areas in Cross River State will be ceded to Cameroon. “ Tension is mounting in the community because we cannot understand why the demarcation of our border while the state was still grieving the loss of Bakassi to Cameroon recently”.
However, Mr Attah Ochinke, the Cross River State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice told CrossRiverWatch that the demarcation exercise “does not pose any potent threat to the land and people of the two communities but the youths are protesting based on anxiety which the Cross River State Government is appropriately handling to avoid any crisis”.
He said the demarcation is not new but an exercise which has been going on for quite some time to retrace the Cameroon and Nigerian border following the Anglo –German Treaty of 1913. “That demarcation is not new but has been going on for sometime to establish the border between the two countries as contained in the Agreement between the colonial masters, Britain and Germany in 1913”.
Mr Attah Ochinke said the protest by the youths is based on the fear and anxiety that some part of their land will be ceded to Cameroon, which is not the case. “The border line passes directly behind the Primary School in Danare 2 so there is anxiety by the people that their land will be ceded to Cameroon but I can say with authority that no part of Cross River land or its people will be ceded to Cameroon or vice versa”.
follow us on twitter @crossriverwatch
Leave feedback about this