The ‘forceful’ take-over of 2,560 oil wells and gas resources at Effiat Mbo Mangrove Islands in Mbo Local Government Area of Nigeria’s Àkwa Ibom by Republic of Cameroon has led to loss of huge revenue accruable to the state, Open Forum alleged.
Apart from annexing the islands, Cameroon is also accused of taking over parts of Bakassi Peninsula, which Nigerian Government under former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration, formally handed over to Cameroon in August 2008, following the ruling by International Court of Justice (ICJ) at Hague, Netherlands.
The court used the Anglo-German Agreement of 1913 as a key document in its decision in ceding Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon.
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A recent report shows that there are 16 ancestral homes/villages in Effiat Mbo Mangrove Islands.
Citizen Matthew Koffi Okono, Founder/President of Open Forum, an advocacy group, stated “While defending the Akwa Ibom ownership of the resolved 76 Oil Wells our sister State, Cross River were trying to take back through political solution, we drew the attention of His Excellency, Gov Umo Eno to the vast Oil Wells and Gas Resources, estimated at over 2,560 wells at Effiat Mbo Mangrove Islands, Mbo LGA illegally annexed along with Bakassi Peninsula by Cameroon.”
Okono, who spoke this during a public presentation to the Speaker, Akwa Ibom House of Assembly in Uyo on a position paper entitled: Agenda Setting for an Akwa Ibom without oil, noted “Imagine the amount of resources that will accrue to the State if the government responds to sensitive information made available to them so they can act alongside other authorities to get required results. The matter is currently at the National Assembly. AKSG needs to be fully involved to avoid future controversies.”
Straightnews online gathered that the vast resources would have steadied the status of Àkwa Ibom as the largest producers of oil in Nigeria, thereby attracting humongous monthly revenue to the state’s purse.
Already, Akwa Ibom Government has budgeted estimate of N5 billion for Excess Crude Oil for 2025 financial year, showing that N416.7 million is being expected from Federation Account monthly.
Senate wades into the matter
The Senate had, on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, constituted an eight-member ad hoc committee to investigate the allegations that the Republic of Cameroon has forcefully taken over Nigerian mangrove islands and maritime territories in Effiat in Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
Akpabio, announced the committee’s composition during the plenary after most senators supported it through voice votes.
He said the committee would be chaired by Jimoh Ibrahim, the senator representing Ondo South Senatorial District on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC).
Other members of the are Adeniyi Adegbonmire (APC, Ondo Central), Seriake Dickson (PDP, Bayelsa West), Kaka Lawan (APC, Borno Central), Banigo Ipalibo (PDP, Rivers West), Agom Jarigbe (PDP, Cross River North), Ekong Sampson (PDP, Akwa Ibom South) and Aniekan Bassey (PDP, Akwa Ibom North-East).
The Senate president directed the committee members to report to the Senate within two months with recommendations on how to address the issue.
The need to probe the forceful takeover of Nigerian mangrove islands was a sequel to a motion sponsored by Mr Bassey during the plenary.
The senator, while presenting his motion, said the Cameroonian government has encroached on Nigeria’s islands in Akwa Ibom despite the fact that the affected islands were not part of the territories ceded to Cameroon under the 1913 Anglo-German treaties or the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling of October 2002.
Mr Bassey lamented that the encroachment had significantly impacted the state’s economy, particularly in the oil and gas sector.
“It is a monumental national embarrassment that foreign laws are being imposed by the Cameroonian Gendarmes on Nigerians living in the 16 ancestral villages in these areas. This encroachment is illegal and has resulted in a significant economic loss, particularly in oil and gas revenues.
“This is noting that the islands in focus were not part of the territories ceded to the Government of Cameroun by the 1913 Anglo-German treaties and the International Court of Justice’s decision of October 2002. As such, the encroachment into these territories is not only illegal but has led to a huge economic loss of more than 2,560 oil wells and gas revenues which ought to accrue to Nigeria,” he said.
“These islands and waters are economically important to the region, as it hosts copious fishing routes and approximately over 2,560 oil wells as well as gas revenues that should accrue to the Nigerian Government but which are lost to the Republic of Cameroon as a result of the illegal annexation of the islands by the Republic of Cameroon,” he added.
The Senator urged his colleagues to encourage the federal government to address the issue.
