National Assembly Complex, Abuja
By Onwuka Nzeshi
Barely 24 hours after the Senate urged the Federal Government to
approach the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for a review of its
2002 judgment ceding Bakassi Peninsula to Cameroun, the House of
Representatives Thursday equally renewed the pressure.
Adopting the report of its Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs, Justice and Special Duties on the issue, the House observed that Article 61 of the Statute of the ICJ has clearly defined the procedure for the review of the judgment of the court.
Adopting the report of its Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs, Justice and Special Duties on the issue, the House observed that Article 61 of the Statute of the ICJ has clearly defined the procedure for the review of the judgment of the court.
A joint committee of the House had last week met with stakeholders and
experts to discuss the maritime boundaries of Nigeria and the future
of Bakassi.
The report of that discourse recommended that the Federal Government
should proceed immediately to file for a review of the judgment based on
the fresh evidence available on the boundary dispute.
It however warned that the review must be filed before October 10, this
year which will mark the tenth anniversary of the 2002 ruling.
According to the report, the Green Tree Agreement entered into by the
governments of Nigeria and Cameroun following the ICJ ruling and which
culminated in the ceding of Bakassi to Cameroun was a violation of
Section 12(1) of the 1999 Constitution.
The section states that: “No treaty between the Federation and any other country shall have the force of law.
SOURCE: ThisDay, 28 September 2012. http://www.thisdaylive.com
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