The Case Of Ceding Bakassi To Cameroon Before The Court Of History

Abstract

More than a decade after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) had delivered judgement in the Cameroon v. Nigeria (2002) case in which it ceded Bakassi to the Cameroons, some Nigerians are still alleging that it was the former Nigerian Military Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon who wished away Bakassi to the Republic of Cameroon as compensation for the support that country gave to Nigeria during the Nigeria-Biafra War. The issue has remained a controversial one, especially as General Gowon has consistently denied ever giving away any Nigerian territory to the Cameroons. The major aim of this article is to probe General Gowon's involvement or otherwise in the ceding of Bakassi to Cameroons. Being a legal-history and diplomatic study, the paper adopts historical/descriptive analysis methodology to interrogate relevant legal and historical documents concerning Bakassi since the colonial times. Findings reveal that Bakassi had been ceded by Britain to Germany, through Anglo-German agreements in 1893, 1907 and 1913, ever before Gowon was born.