Nigeria and Cameroon near completion of border pillar work, official says

Nigeria and Cameroon are nearing completion of the physical demarcation of their international land boundary, almost 24 years after an International Court of Justice ruling settled their dispute, according to Nigeria’s National Boundary Commission Director-General, Adamu Adaji. Adaji told the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja that the remaining work is concentrated in the Adamawa sector, where more than 260 boundary pillars are being installed. He said the work could be completed within two or three months, with the broader exercise expected to finish before the end of the year.

The ICJ judgment, delivered on 10 October 2002, awarded sovereignty over the Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroon and set out the two countries’ land and maritime boundary. Implementation began after Nigeria and Cameroon agreed, under United Nations auspices, to carry out the judgment. The countries subsequently established a Mixed Commission, chaired by the United Nations, to resolve outstanding issues.

Adaji said disagreements that had led to some sectors being skipped were settled through interventions by both presidents and an approach that considered the location and identity of affected settlements. He cited Koja as an example, saying the ICJ-defined line initially placed about 90 per cent of the Nigerian settlement in Cameroon. Under an understanding reached by the two countries, the whole community remained in Nigeria, while Turu, where Cameroonians predominate, was treated as a concession to Cameroon.

Adaji said the next phase would involve managing the effects of the boundary on communities and providing basic needs. The commission has assessed those needs and is working with the United Nations, pending support from international partners and both governments. He also said cross-border cooperation would be used to improve information sharing, combat smuggling and irregular migration, and document legitimate movement.

The official said communities often share cultural and historical ties, making cooperation necessary even where homes or farmland straddle the boundary.