Hon. Victor Abang, the member representing Ikom/Boki Federal Constituency of Cross River State in the House of Representatives, has confirmed that plans to hand over 10,000 hectares of land to Cameroon have been halted.
Abang made the announcement in Keyang 2, Boki Local Government Area, during a town hall meeting and constituency briefing.
He explained that the plans, following the 2002 International Court of Justice ruling, required the boundary to be defined according to the Anglo-German Treaty of 1913.
“To this effect, a joint committee was established to oversee the implementation. Unfortunately, the committee attempted to demarcate the boundary without proper recourse to the existing colonial boundary features,” Abang said.
He added that the committee ignored Pillar 113A, a recognized colonial demarcation separating Nigeria and Cameroon, which could have led to the ceding of over 10,000 hectares of Nigerian land, including parts of Biajua and Danare communities.
“In view of this, I presented a motion on July 5, 2023, which was promptly deliberated by the House. Presently, the exercise has been halted pending a comprehensive review of the process,” he said.
Abang also shared a compendium of his achievements in the National Assembly, titled The Banjuere, highlighting projects such as a mini stadium, telecommunication masts connecting 35 communities, and 300 million naira in medical equipment for Abo Ebam Primary Health Centre.
He further noted that he sponsored the National Park Service (Amendment Bill) to promote environmental conservation and establish the Okwangwo National Park Unit as an independent entity to boost the economic and developmental value of the Boki forest.
