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From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
House of Representatives has said the country might consider a fresh application to appeal the judgement of the International Court or Justice ( ICJ) that ceded Bakassi to Cameroon.
The House Ad-hoc Committee on International Boundary Dispute Between Nigeria and Cameroon stated this, on Thursday, at the resumed investigatiove hearing, on alleged encroachment on parts of Cross River State by Cameroon.
Chairman of the panel, Beni Lar, at the hearing expressed concern about the threat to Danare and Biajua communities and about 7,000–10,000 hectares of land in the Boki Area of Cross River State.
“From the human rights angle let us know what can be done. It is very important. Everything is dynamic. You cannot have a law that wants to implement a 1912 treaty which is so old. Laws are reviewed from time to time. You cannot want to implement it in the same manner.
“It is just like when you talk about the issues in Nigeria about grazing routes. You cannot go back and get back the same grazing routes. There has to be a political solution. You give us the legal solution and then we politicians would come up with the political solution.
“There has to be a solution. There has to be a way to keep our Nigerian brothers and sisters in Nigeria. We have to find a way around it even if it means coming up with a fresh appeal to the ICJ using diplomatic channels. Whatever we need to do we should do it for the sake of the nation and the sake of our brothers and sisters that live in Nigeria.
“I cannot imagine waking up one morning and being told I am not a Nigerian. SO from that human right angle there has to be a way. Yes these technocrats are doing their job as technocrats. We do not dispute that, but there has to be a way where on compassionate grounds, human rights grounds. We have to find a way to solve this issue or resolve this issue,” Lar stated.
