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HISTORY OF BAKASSI

A kingdom was founded in Bakassi around 1450 by the Efik, and was incorporated within the political framework of the kingdom of Old Calabar. During the European scramble for Africa, Queen Victoria signed a Treaty of Protection with the King and Chiefs of Old Calabar on 10 September 1884. This enabled the United Kingdom to exercise control over the entire territory of Old Calabar, including Bakassi. The territory subsequently became de facto part of the republic of Nigeria, although the border was never permanently delineated. For a fuller discussion on the various attempts to determine a boundary.In the Fifteenth Century AD, The Efuts/Efiats had long possessed the uninhabited islands of Bakassi Peninsula.

August 1785, Chief Antera Duke identified Peninsula as Port of Old Calabar. He distinguished two Bakassi Peninsula in his diary entries as Aqua Bakassey(Bakassi Peninsula) and Jock Bakassey (Idombi). He also reported that Grand Ekpe was brought to Duke Town from Jock Bakassey (Idombi) in a canoe (Ubom Ekpe) on the said date and clearly establishes the sovereign authority of Ekpe Efik in Jock Bakassey.

February 8, 1786, Chief Antera Duke agian recorded in his diary that they led Grandy Ekpe to Plaver House 'Ekpe' Lodge (Efe Ekpe) at Aqua Bakassey (Bakassi Peninsula) and played all night. With this report, it is obvious that Grandy Ekpe had existed long before then at Bakassi Peninsula.

It is worthy to note that Efik and their Kindred of Bakassi have a common a totemic object as a reminder of their common ancestry. Leopard (“Ekpe” in Efik) is the totem. The emblem also signifies the existence of a common religion of unknown source and age, structured in a way to indicate the spiritual possibilities that are available to man. The teaching of Ekpe are strictly reserved for those whose blood relationship with the custodians of the culture could be proven. The blood link between Efik and Usak Edet (Efut Inwang, Akwa, Amoto, Odon etc) facilitated the transfer to Efik of Calabar knowledge of the esoterics of Mboko. Efik were already in possession of normal Ekpe grades. Aside from this and unlike the practice in Cameroun, proper Ekpe forms, exoteric displays and temple workings of Efik and Usak-edet are similar for all grades. This is further proof that the people have a common origin.

Ekpe lodges share things in common when they are of the same stock or kindred. That was Chief Anjeh Usim of Odon, who was a Customary Court member in Ikot Nakanda in 1950 led UBOM EKPE (Ekpe in Canoe) from Usak-Edet to Calabar and displayed with normal traditional rites.

September 9, 1884. Kings and Chiefs of Efut and Idombi made declaration to subject themselves, people and Country to the authority and jurisdiction of the Kings and Chiefs of Old Calabar, that they cannot make any treaty with a foreign power for themselves but shall be bound by any treaty the said Kings and Chiefs of Old Calabar have made or may hereafter make for trade purposes.

On the 10th of September, 1884. Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, in compliance with the request of the Kings, Chiefs and people of Old Calabar, hereby undertook to extend to them and the territory under their authority and jurisdiction, her gracious favour and protection.

These treaties enabled the UK to claim, rightly, at the Berlin West African Conference of 1884 - 1885 that the area of authority of the Kings and Chiefs of Old Calabar were within their area of influence and "protectorate" and not that of Germany.

April 1885, “Germany engage not to make requisitions, accept protectorates or interfere with the extension of British influence in the Coast of the Gulf of Guinea between the right River Bank of the mouth of the Rio del Rey, as above described, and the British Colony of Lagos; nor in the interior to the West of the line traced.

July 1890. The treaty confirmed and strengthened the British Supremacy over Germany in the Bakassi Peninsula as agreed under the Gulf of Guinea: Rio del Rey Creek as follows:
“It having been proved to the satisfaction of the two powers that no river exits on the Marked Maps as the Rio del Rey, to which reference was made in the agreement of

1885. A provisional line of demarcation is adopted between the German sphere in the
Camerouns and the adjoining British sphere which, starting from the head of the
Rio del Rey Creek, goes direct to the point about 9o 08 of East longitude, marked “Rapids”in the British admiralty Chart: Article IV(2) No. 270 concluded on 1st July, 1890.

This agreement sought to correct the anomalies in that of 1885 and bring the delimitation to conform with identifiable physical boundary on the ground between the Efiks of Nigeria and the Balondos of Cameroun.

1893. This agreement purported to avoid split of kinsfolk or related Communities and keep contiguous together using function of the two waterways, named Urufian and Ikankan at the upper end of the Rio del Rey creek as the demarcation point.

These territories together with other areas Northwards towards River Benue, and Westward towards River Niger were described by British as “Oil River Protectorate”.

May 16, 1893. By a publication in the London Gazette; the “Oil Rivers Protectorate was renamed the “Niger Coast Protectorate”. The Bakassi Peninsula was conspicuous by its presence in both the “Oil Rivers Protectorate” and the “Nigeria Coast Protectorate”.

December 18. 1894. Sir Claude M. Macdonald. Her Britannic Majesty’s Consul-General of Old Calabar wrote to His Excellency, the German Governor of Cameroun complaining bitterly about the unbecoming treatment of Chief Ekanem Esin. A British protected Village Head of Ekanem Esin Village by Herr Klauss a German official, and requested amongst other things for the removal of the German flag and return of the Union Jack removed by Herr Klauss. This is evidenced that Ekanem Esin Village is in Nigeria.

1895, Sir Claude Macdonald K.C.M.G, Her Britannic Majesty and High Commissioner Commissioned a Surveyor A.G. Fowler to carry out the mapping of Bakassi Territory according to the 1893 Agreement reached with Germany.
His report shows that he had drawn the following Maps:
General Map of Old Calabar to Rio Del Rey
Plan of Urufian Creek to (Swedish) factory on Rio Del Rey
Plan of Creek to Ekanem Esin
Traverse of Roads at Ekanem Esin
Sketch of proposed triangulation

These proved that Ekanem Esin Village is in Nigeria.

Since the purpose of the Anglo – German treaty of 1893 was to separate the Efiks and their Kindred from the Balondos and considering the Efiks Kindred Villages of Odon, Akaw, Amoto (Usake-edet), Efut Inwang and Archibong Town Vis-à-vis the survey co-ordinates of Ekanem Esin Village and the meeting point of Urufian and Ikankan waterway at the head of Rio Del Rey, It is clear that the villages are in Nigeria.

December 27, 1899. The united kingdom (UK) promulgated the southern New orders in Council which came into force on the January 1, 1900. By this promulgation the Niger Coast Protectorate was transformed into the “Protectorate of Southern Nigeria”. Bakassi Peninsula was included in this Protectorate.

December 1906. British made provisions for the administration of the protectorate of southern Nigeria from the Colony of Lagos. In the 1906 edition of the British Official Office list as shown in the Map as at then, Bakassi is included as part of Southern Nigeria.

1909. Germany failed in their desire to push the Rio Del Rey boundary at Akpayafe River (Akpa Ikang) having succeeded to get hinterland boundary adjusted a bit in their favour.

March 11,1913. Germany and British agreed to share responsibilities and to protect and recognize the physical presence and occupation of the native population in the area. Anglo – German treaty was signed.

Earlier, the UK and Germany signed what was described as a “Memorandum of Agreement between the Government of Great Britain and Germany for the separation and Definition of distinct sphere of Action in Africa”. In it, the two imperial powers agreed that the boundary between the British sphere of influence and that of Germany in that area was the River Rio Del Rey. This, accorded with the Treaties and Declarations the UK signed with the Kings, Chiefs and people of Old Calabar. The Anglo – German agreement went further to stipulate that their international Boundary was the line running through the right bank of River Rio Del Rey (backing the estuary and facing the source). This obviated the need to use “Thalweg” –(center of the navigable river channel) –as the international boundary. This line unequivocally put not only Bakassi Peninsula but also the entire river Rio Del Rey inside Southern Nigeria. Nevertheless, when the Anglo German treaty was signed there were no political entities known as Nigeria and Cameroun.

April 12, 1913. Although the survey was subsequently resumed, delineation of boundary was agreed on paper on March 11 and April 12, 1913 by the Boundary Commission of the British and German Governments. The actual demarcation on the ground was not concluded by the time the 1914 World War was declared.

1913 Anglo German Agreement was not limited to Bakassi Peninsula. It covered the long boundary from Yola to the Sea. While the Yola stretch to the Cross River Rapids appeared to have gone through the full boundary making process of Negotiation, Delimitation and dermacation, the southern sector including Bakassi Peninsula could not be completed before the 1914 -1918 World War put laid to rest the exercise to demarcate the boundary. This Anglo – German Agreement was not perfected in the field before the outbreak of the 1914 World War.

The aborted attempt of the League of Nations Boundary Commission to demarcate the boundaries between British and French Cameroun because of the World War II proves that the Anglo-German Agreement was not perfected on ground.

This agreement breached the Anglo-Efik treaty of 1884, principles of non-alienation and the cardinal principles of a protectorate treaty. The protest of the Obong of Calabar amongst other things may have caused Britain to have second thought about the 1913 Anglo-German treaty, in that within eighteen months of the Agreement, It took back and occupied Bakassi Peninsula, and in pursuance of the World War, occupied the whole of German Western Cameroun, and the area that was outside the 1913 Agreement that is to say under 1946 Mandate Arrangement, Britain took over only the original German Sphere deemed mandated territory by the Treaty of Versailles of 1919.

July 11, 1913. When Obong Adam Ephraim Duke X (Obong Edem Efefiong) being on the throne as at then, heard of this “secret” treaty, vehemently protested against any attempt to sever his kingdom, without his consent, since Britain only held it as trustee, and not owner. He also sent delegation to London to register further protest and to canvass British Members of Parliament. Among the MPs canvassed was Cathart Watson, Who in the House of Commons asked the Colonial Secretary, Harcourt in relation to the Bakassi Peninsula and the Obong of Calabar’s delegation to London, whether Her Majesty’s Government proposed to transfer the ownership of any land in Southern Nigeria from the native Communities to the Crown or to disposes the natives of their land. Harcourt, who was in charge of the Oil River Protectorate replied, “No Sir, the government have never entertained and would not entertain such a proposal”. That deliberations were recorded in the Hansard of British Parliament dated July 11, 1913.

November 22, 1913. The protectorate of Northern Nigeria and Southern Nigeria were almagamated into a single protectorate of Nigeria but still separated from the Colony of Lagos by the British Order –In –Council. Bakassi Peninsula was still part of the Southern Nigeria.

January 1, 1914. The amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Nigeria came into force.

August 1914. The dermacation of the new boundary which went ahead was interrupted only by the outbreak of war between Britain and Germany.

1916. British and French Colonial fought and eventually conquered the German Colony of Cameroun during the First World War.

1919. The German Colony of Cameroun was divided between British and French Government under mandates of the League of Nations (now United Nations) by the provisions of the Versailles Treaty signed at the end of the First World War. Bakassi Peninsula formed that part of British mandate along with a broad strip of territory along the Nigeria Cameroun border. The Britsih Cameroun was administered from Lagos virtually as an intergral pert of Nigeria.

1949 -1954. After the Second World War, League of Nations Mandates were replaced by UN Mandates. At that time Southern Camerouns was administered with Nigeria by Britain. It was under the mandate arrangements of the League of Nations in 1946, that Britain took over the administration of the so called German Agreement in effect which meant taking over possession of the activities, namely, the area covered by the 1913 Anglo German Agreement and the area that was lawfully German sphere of influence prior to the 1913 Agreement. Thus the whole of Bakassi remained a territory of Britain and the Obong of Calabar. Only the original German sphere could be deemed mandated territory by the Treaty of Versaillles.
Since thirteen delegates from the Southern Cameroun were members of the Eastern House of Assembly in Enugu, nine of them who were originally elected on the platform of the National Council for Nigeria and the Camerouns (NCNC) decided to maintain neutrality following the dispute that rocked the house, on the basis that they were not Nigerians. The only Southern Camerounian in the Eastern Executive Council Mr. S. T. Muna at that time was actually dismissed. The crises which engulfed the house brought about the name change from “National Council for Nigeria and the Camerouns” to “National Council of Nigerian Citizens”.