A coalition of over 50 civil society organisations under the umbrella of the Coalition for the Protection of Democracy in Nigeria has raised the alarm over what it described as the erosion of Nigeria’s territorial integrity and the marginalisation of Cross River State.
The coalition alleged that corrupt practices within the National Boundary Commission had resulted in the illegal manipulation of internal and international boundaries, posing a threat to national security.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja on Monday, the convener of the coalition, Dr Gabriel Nwambu, accused officials of the NBC of engaging in what he termed “administrative treason.”
Nwambu, who read a statement on behalf of the coalition titled ‘Administrative Treason and the Erosion of Nigeria’s Territorial Integrity — A Clarion Call for Justice for Cross River State’, said the actions of the commission undermined democratic norms and due process.
He said while past state creations, such as Delta from Bendel and Bayelsa from Rivers, were resolved through negotiated settlements, the boundary dispute involving Cross River and Akwa Ibom states represented a dangerous departure from established practices.
He said, the coalition uncovered evidence of deliberate distortions of Nigeria’s 10th Edition Administrative Map between 2004 and 2008, allegedly carried out without the knowledge or consent of Cross River State.
Nwambu claimed the alterations were orchestrated by vested interests in Akwa Ibom State in collaboration with senior officials of the NBC, leading to repeated and clandestine changes to officially recognised boundary documents.
He alleged that the distortions effectively blocked maritime access to the Calabar Basin, a key navigational route protected under the 1913 Anglo-German agreement.
The coalition further claimed that the altered coordinates resulted in the diversion of more than 76 oil wells from Cross River State to Akwa Ibom, leaving the Calabar Geological Flank, which it said hosts over 1,000 wells, officially recorded as having none.
Nwambu warned that the issue extended beyond domestic concerns, alleging that the altered 2008 dichotomy map had shifted Nigeria’s international maritime boundary in a way that could benefit the Republic of Cameroon.
He said Nigeria risked losing about 780 hectares of territorial waters and at least 28 oil wells to Cameroon, not as a result of the International Court of Justice ruling on Bakassi, but due to internal administrative fraud.
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The coalition cautioned that Cross River State was being positioned to become a “new Ogoni land,” bearing the environmental consequences of oil exploration without benefiting from derivation revenues.
It warned that pollution from oil spills and gas flaring would affect communities in Cross River for decades, even as revenues from the resources were allocated elsewhere.
The group called on President Bola Tinubu to order the immediate arrest and prosecution of both serving and retired NBC officials allegedly involved in the manipulation of boundary maps.
It also demanded the nullification of the 2008 dichotomy map and a return to the coordinates contained in the 10th Edition Administrative Map, which it said recognised Cross River’s littoral status.
The coalition further urged the reconstitution of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission inter-agency committee to ensure equitable representation and warned that it would embark on sustained civil action if the Federal Government failed to address its demands within 14 days.
