By Cletus Felix
The protracted crisis surrounding the resettlement of displaced Bakassi indigenes has taken a new turn, as community leaders have outrightly rejected a summons issued by the Bakassi Legislative Council, raising fears of further escalation.
The leaders, who have consistently criticised the government’s handling of their resettlement, dismissed the summons as lacking constitutional legitimacy, asserting that the legislative body has no jurisdiction over the matter.
In a statement issued on Monday, Chief Iyadim Amboni Iyadim, speaking on behalf of the community leaders, described the summons as “an affront to constitutional rights and a veiled attempt to stifle their voices.” He maintained that their advocacy for proper resettlement after 17 years of displacement was addressed directly to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, not the Bakassi Legislative Council.
“Our attention has been drawn to a public announcement from the Bakassi Legislative Committee on Judiciary, Public Petition and Conflict Resolution, inviting us to appear before them on the 14th of February, 2025. We wish to state as follows:
“Constitutionally, the Headquarters of Bakassi Local Government is not in Ikot Effiom but in Abana, Dayspring, and Kwa Island, as reflected in the current Cross River State map.
“Our petition, which focuses on the proper resettlement of displaced Bakassi people, was addressed to Mr. President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and not to the Bakassi Legislative Council.
“That the Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Ene Okon Edet, had on the 1st of February, 2025, signed a public petition on behalf of Bakassi Peninsula Aborigine Communities, reacting to our petition to Mr. President on the delisting of Bakassi as one of the 774 Local Government Areas in the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
“As such, he cannot be a judge in his own case. A copy of the petition is hereby attached for reference.
“Finally, the Legislative Council of Bakassi Local Government Area lacks the authority to intervene in matters concerning the status of Bakassi LGA, the delineation of wards, boundary adjustments, or the summoning of any individual who exercises their constitutional right to express an opinion on the inclusion or exclusion of Bakassi from the Nigerian constitution.”
The statement underscores the ongoing frustrations of the displaced Bakassi people, whose leaders have persistently lamented the government’s failure to provide them with a permanent place of abode.
At a recent stakeholders’ meeting in Calabar, the displaced persons, through Chief Iyadim Amboni Iyadim, decried the government’s failure to honour multiple promises of resettlement. He presented official documents, including a letter from former Vice President Mohammed Sambo, which had established a technical committee to review and implement the resettlement demands of the Bakassi People’s General Assembly.
Additionally, Chief Iyadim displayed a map of the proposed resettlement site at Dayspring 1, Dayspring 2, and Qua Island, which had been officially approved by former Cross River State Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke.
The Bakassi resettlement debacle dates back to 2002, when the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ceded the Bakassi
