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A legal luminary, Chief Adeniyi Akintola (SAN), has expressed shock at the manner President Umaru Yar’Adua handed over the oil rich Bakassi Penisula to the nieghbouring Central African country, Cameroon, saying the ceded part of the country could still be regained.

He placed the options before the people of Bakassi that they had to act with self-determination by opting to become an independent state, arguing that both International Human Rights Charter and African Human Rights Charter recognized such action.

Speaking with newsmen in Ibadan shortly after he was conferred with the chieftaincy title of Basorun Baamofin of Ibadanland by the Olubadan, Oba Samuel Odulana Odugade I, as part of the first year anniversary of the monarch on the throne over the weekend, Akintola contended that federal government failed woefully to explore all the available options before the handing over.

He stated that the Green Tree Agreement (GTA) signed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo ought to be ratified by the National Assembly, adding that due process was not followed in the ceding of Bakassi to the Cameroon.
“Apart from constitutional provisions, which empower the Senate to ratify the agreement, there is also the Treaty Ratification Acts of 1990, Laws of the Federation which has also been flouted by the federal government.

“Not only that, there was also a court injunction which ordered that the status quo be maintained on the ceding of the oil rich area to Cameroon. I am saying this because if they have read the provisions of the constitution, Treaty Ratification Acts, the ICJ judgment shouldn’t have been executed.
“The truth of the matter is that no plebiscite was conducted for the people of Bakassi to give them opportunity to decide where they would like to belong. They are citizens of this country and federal government is now treating them as if they are animals. “Now suppose they take up arms, there will be internal war. You know, there is a set determination height of every citizen.

The people of Bakassi are citizens of the world; they are entitled to be protected. Has anybody asked them where they wanted to belong? Has plebiscite been conducted? I think Nigeria is sitting on a keg of gun powder. “I hope the people of Bakassi, especially their elites will take p the challenge because until we realize that an injustice against one is an injustice against all, there will be no peace.
“It is possible to reverse the ceding of Bakassi to Cameroon if the people of Bakassi rise up to the challenge, resist the ceding out of self-determination. United Nations Charter recognizes that, the African Human Rights Charter recognizes that, if possible they should ask to become an Independent state, may be that will gladden the hearts of Nigerians.

“Let me ask you a question, how many ICJ judgment has United States of America obeyed? How many has Israel obeyed over Middle East issue? How many has Britain obeyed? Have you forgotten the Guatemala case? “Even just few days ago, United States disobeyed its own law over the settlement of Guatemala. So, what are we talking about if the Western nations, who are forcing these things down our throats, are disobeying the UN resolutions or ICJ judgments? You see, quite a number of time we play the ostrich by hiding our head inside the sand and leaving our entire body outside. We should recognize that Nigerians are intelligent enough to know between the lines.

“It seems Nigerian leaders don’t read and it is very unfortunate. Most of the time, we run government of the illiterate by the illiterate for the enlightened; it is very unfortunate that people would use political expediency to do things that basically not in the interest of Nigeria
While faulting the argument of Mr. Olurotimi Akeredolu (SAN) that the decision of ICJ is irreversible and must be obeyed, the counsel to the All Nigeria People Party (ANPP) gubernatorial candidate in Oyo State during April 14, 2007 polls, Senator Abiola Ajimobi, the Action Congress (AC) gubernatorial candidate in Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and the embattled Ondo State Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, said that Nigeria is a signatory to United Nations Human Rights Charter and the African Human Rights Charter.
Akintola reasoned that the federal government might have signed away Bakassi out of political expediency and to massage the political ego of some powerful political class which included former ministers who had been mounting negative foreign campaigns against the government.