THE Federal Government has vowed to defend the sovereignty of the country as  calls for a review of the judgment of the International Court of Justice (ICT) on Bakassi Peninsula continued yesterday.

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke, who stated the government’s position, however, re-affirmed Nigeria’s respect for the decisions of international tribunals and commitment to regional peace and security.

Adoke who declared that the Federal Government would appropriately defend the dignity and sovereignty of the country spoke in Lagos yesterday at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA)’s  “12th Brainstorming Session on The Bakassi Peninsula: Ten Years of ICJ Ruling and Prolegomena To Resultant Problems.”

However, at the same forum, eminent Nigerians, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru, Governor of Cross River State Liyel Imoke, former Minister of External Affairs, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi, Director-General of NIIA, Prof. Bola Akinterinwa and experts, have warned against the consequence of the emergence of militant groups in Bakassi Peninsula and the resort to violence.

But Imoke and some experts have asserted that the judgment of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the Green Tree Agreement have not worked and that the verdict and the agreement must be reviewed.

Adoke, who was represented by Prof. Deji Adekunle, recalled at the event that relations between Nigeria and Cameroun were repeatedly soured over the possession of Bakassi for many years, leading to considerable tension between the two countries before Cameroun initiated proceedings at the ICJ on March 29, 1994.

He said despite reservations expressed about the judgment of ICJ of October 10, 2002, on the issue, particularly in the light of several contentious legal points, Nigeria was committed to working out a pragmatic and politically sensible resolution of the dispute within the frame-work of the judgment.

This approach, he said, was consistent with Nigeria’s obligations as a highly responsible international citizen and her sterling contributions to peacekeeping, international relief assistance and humanitarian operations.

According to him, Article 61 of the Statute of ICJ permits such a review where the application is based upon the discovery of a fact, which is decisive and unknown to the court and to a party claiming revision when the judgment was given.

“I do not understand the call for review as unnecessarily emotive or that heeding the call is tantamount to a volte face in Nigeria’s quest for peaceful resolution of disputes and avant-garde diplomacy. It may be that there is increased agitation for this now given that the statute provides that a review should be initiated before 10 years have elapsed from the date of the judgment on or before October 10, 2012,” he said.

He tasked the forum to assist in shaping well-informed and objective decisions and strategies on the path to tow, encouraging all the discussants to be forthright and candid in their recommendations.

On his part, Ashiru, who was represented by Ambassador Mark Egbe, said in recent weeks, “there have been agitations by some Nigerians for the country to review, indeed, renege or repudiate the agreement. At the height of the agitation is the self-styled Bakassi Self-determination Front.

He said the House of Representatives Committee on Treaties and Agreements, in response to complaints by Bakassi indigenes resident in the territory now ceded to Cameroun by ICJ judgment, has rightly initiated an investigation into the complaints of maltreatment and other alleged abuses by the Cameroun authorities or their agents in tandem with the letter and spirit of Article 3 (1and 2) of the Green Tree Agreement ceding Bakassi Peninsula.

Ashiru reiterated the ministry’s confidence in the work of the Nigeria-Cameroun Mixed Commission and the Follow-up Committee on the peaceful implementation of the judgment.

He also reiterated that the ministry’s “determination to ensure that the letter and spirit of the agreement are upheld, including the protection of the rights of those who have elected to remain in the territory now ceded to Cameroun.”

He urged those affected Nigerians to ensure that they live within the laws of the new authority in Bakassi.

Imoke, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Mike Aniah, said the “complete violation of the Bakassi society cannot have been intended consequence of the Green Tree Agreement, but that is the reality.”

He said that the ICJ, a fundamental organ of the United Nations (UN) treated Bakassi like a vacant land, giving little regard to the wishes of the people and completely disregarding the right of the people to self-determination.

“We have to face the reality: The ICJ and the Green Tree Agreement have not worked. We either review these documents by engaging all parties through stipulated process, or we wait and allow the situation to play out with unintended consequences. An uncontrolled explosion of Bakassi situation may lead to violent conflict or indeed bring the two countries into violent disagreement,” the governor said.

Akinyemi, in his remark, said the brewing crisis over the Bakassi peninsula has the potential of becoming Nigeria-Cameroun Kashmir if care is not taken.”

According to him, it was a matter of regret and a failure of state policy that Nigeria entered appearance at the court in response to the suit filed by Cameroun. He said the suit should have been regarded as a hostile act on the part of Cameroun to have taken Nigeria to the world court.

He said: “The acceptance of the judgment and the handover of Bakassi to Cameroun were not only acts of indecent haste, the handover without an Act of Parliament was itself an act of illegality and unconstitutionality.”

Posted by admin on Aug 24 2012. Filed under Cross River, Headlines, State News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry